Should we adopt a cute cat from a not-so-great shelter?
January 16, 2020 8:08 AM Subscribe
Last week my partner and I went to a local cat shelter to meet a cat he had seen online. She seems very cute but I have some strong reservations about adopting her from this place, based on their online reviews and what I witnessed when I was there...
The cat in question has a pronounced head tilt. As in, her head is continually tilted to one side, and she walks a little strangely. I have no idea what might cause this, and googling has not really cleared it up for me. So if anyone has any ideas of what this might be, please do share. The people at the shelter were too busy to talk to while we were there.
My reservations about the shelter come from the following: it is a cage free shelter, meaning the cats can roam at will. That's nice, except it is absolutely crammed with cats in a small place. The air was thick with cat smell--not urine, exactly, but it felt like if I spent any longer than an hour or so there I would start to have trouble breathing. Many, many of the cats were openly sneezing, dribbling snot out of their noses. They had a sick room, but cats were freely coming and going into the room. The volunteer was very young and couldn't answer any of our questions.
I've read about them online and they get pretty terrible reviews for a cat shelter. Various reviews describe how their pet came home with fleas, ringworm, feline infectious peritonitis (which is deadly), severe, long-term upper respiratory disease, etc. The shelter seems unresponsive in these cases. It also seems like they are not really responsive towards people wanting to adopt cats--i.e., they will fail to respond to applications submitted online. The adoption process seems very strict and convoluted--they will actually call and speak to landlords, vet offices, etc. I appreciate that they will not just adopt out willy nilly, but they seem to be much more restrictive than anywhere else in town, resulting in fewer cats getting adopted out. Numerous reviews mention how terrible their director, the only paid staff member, is.
Therefore, I have a bad feeling about this place. There is no shortage of places in town to get a cat, most of which have much better online reviews, and so my instinct is to walk away from this shelter. My partner's heart is set on the cat we met, and I have to admit she was pretty cute. Also, her tilted head and funny walk make her seem lovably needy, like she needs rescued. Honestly, I would like to adopt any cat from that shelter simply to get them out of what seems like a less than ideal environment. But maybe her condition is a sign that she is not healthy in a way that would negatively impact our other two cats? I don't want to jeopardize their health. The cat in question has been in the shelter for nearly four years, her entire life, which breaks my heart.
Are the things I witnessed and read about red flags for adopting from a place? Should we just go elsewhere? I'm worried about going down into a hole of vet bills. I'm really concerned about the reviews stating their cats adopted from there have FIP. Is this commonplace?
Thanks.
The cat in question has a pronounced head tilt. As in, her head is continually tilted to one side, and she walks a little strangely. I have no idea what might cause this, and googling has not really cleared it up for me. So if anyone has any ideas of what this might be, please do share. The people at the shelter were too busy to talk to while we were there.
My reservations about the shelter come from the following: it is a cage free shelter, meaning the cats can roam at will. That's nice, except it is absolutely crammed with cats in a small place. The air was thick with cat smell--not urine, exactly, but it felt like if I spent any longer than an hour or so there I would start to have trouble breathing. Many, many of the cats were openly sneezing, dribbling snot out of their noses. They had a sick room, but cats were freely coming and going into the room. The volunteer was very young and couldn't answer any of our questions.
I've read about them online and they get pretty terrible reviews for a cat shelter. Various reviews describe how their pet came home with fleas, ringworm, feline infectious peritonitis (which is deadly), severe, long-term upper respiratory disease, etc. The shelter seems unresponsive in these cases. It also seems like they are not really responsive towards people wanting to adopt cats--i.e., they will fail to respond to applications submitted online. The adoption process seems very strict and convoluted--they will actually call and speak to landlords, vet offices, etc. I appreciate that they will not just adopt out willy nilly, but they seem to be much more restrictive than anywhere else in town, resulting in fewer cats getting adopted out. Numerous reviews mention how terrible their director, the only paid staff member, is.
Therefore, I have a bad feeling about this place. There is no shortage of places in town to get a cat, most of which have much better online reviews, and so my instinct is to walk away from this shelter. My partner's heart is set on the cat we met, and I have to admit she was pretty cute. Also, her tilted head and funny walk make her seem lovably needy, like she needs rescued. Honestly, I would like to adopt any cat from that shelter simply to get them out of what seems like a less than ideal environment. But maybe her condition is a sign that she is not healthy in a way that would negatively impact our other two cats? I don't want to jeopardize their health. The cat in question has been in the shelter for nearly four years, her entire life, which breaks my heart.
Are the things I witnessed and read about red flags for adopting from a place? Should we just go elsewhere? I'm worried about going down into a hole of vet bills. I'm really concerned about the reviews stating their cats adopted from there have FIP. Is this commonplace?
Thanks.
Some shelters and rescues are really just covers for someone's cat hoarding behaviour and this seems like it might be one of those.
You can see that all the animals are sick and that the one you are interested in is sicker than most. It is heartbreaking but how much can you afford in vet bills to save one cat?
You could ask for permission to get an assessment by your own vet before adopting but if you find out she has a dread disease will that just make your partner more invested?
posted by jacquilynne at 8:20 AM on January 16, 2020 [10 favorites]
You can see that all the animals are sick and that the one you are interested in is sicker than most. It is heartbreaking but how much can you afford in vet bills to save one cat?
You could ask for permission to get an assessment by your own vet before adopting but if you find out she has a dread disease will that just make your partner more invested?
posted by jacquilynne at 8:20 AM on January 16, 2020 [10 favorites]
I would not do this thing. Trust your instincts on this. Any cat that you adopt out of a shelter you feel better about will open up a spot in that better shelter for another cat.
posted by Mizu at 8:35 AM on January 16, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 8:35 AM on January 16, 2020 [12 favorites]
I wouldn't worry about the head tilt, here's some info on that. Could be it resolves itself, or it's congenital (incurable), or possibly caused by an ear infection which means just antibiotics. Worst case it's a tumour, in which case it would mean providing a home for a short time until the cat passes away because brain tumours in cats are not usually treatable.
I WOULD worry about the ringworm and other contagious diseases. You would absolutely need to quarantine this cat from your other cats for weeks (or worst case, months). If she does have ringworm it means following a strict quarantine protocol for yourself as well (humans can get ringworm, especially kids, and spores are easily transported on clothes, shoes, etc) and regularly disinfecting everything the cat touches until treatment is complete.
I wouldn't adopt any cat from this shelter if I had another cat at home or any regular exposure to children, and if I wasn't ready to commit to some serious obsessive hygiene practices. Like, I'd trust the cleanliness of any random feral from an alley over a cat that's been living in close confinement with many other sick cats.
This is a cat hoarding situation, and possibly you should report them to the SPCA. You likely did not see the whole situation (back rooms, etc) and if it has reached a certain level of neglect the SPCA has the ability to seize the cats. But it's also possible SPCA already knows about this place and it hasn't reached that level.
posted by 100kb at 8:44 AM on January 16, 2020 [18 favorites]
I WOULD worry about the ringworm and other contagious diseases. You would absolutely need to quarantine this cat from your other cats for weeks (or worst case, months). If she does have ringworm it means following a strict quarantine protocol for yourself as well (humans can get ringworm, especially kids, and spores are easily transported on clothes, shoes, etc) and regularly disinfecting everything the cat touches until treatment is complete.
I wouldn't adopt any cat from this shelter if I had another cat at home or any regular exposure to children, and if I wasn't ready to commit to some serious obsessive hygiene practices. Like, I'd trust the cleanliness of any random feral from an alley over a cat that's been living in close confinement with many other sick cats.
This is a cat hoarding situation, and possibly you should report them to the SPCA. You likely did not see the whole situation (back rooms, etc) and if it has reached a certain level of neglect the SPCA has the ability to seize the cats. But it's also possible SPCA already knows about this place and it hasn't reached that level.
posted by 100kb at 8:44 AM on January 16, 2020 [18 favorites]
I'm really concerned about the reviews stating their cats adopted from there have FIP. Is this commonplace?
Hi! I’m not a vet, but my kitty had a false alarm with FIP. From my understanding of FIP, what is being transmitted from cat to cat is not FIP per se, but a coronavirus, which mutates to FIP in only about 10% of cats. It’s sort of a chicken pox and shingles situation. This VCA article states that as many as 80-90% of cats in a multi-cat environment will have had a coronavirus.
However, this UC Davis website says:
“While FCoV [feline coronavirus] is endemic in many multiple cat populations, FIP itself is not thought to be transmitted via direct contact between cats. Despite this, outbreaks involving substantially increased mortality due to FIP do occur in groups of unrelated cats in shelters or catteries.”
So, my guess is that FIP may be more likely in this particular shelter, but is a possibility when adopting from almost any breeder or shelter.
A majority of FIP cases are seen in cats under 2 years old, especially kittens. So, if you know the cat you are planning to adopt is older, this may help ease your mind.
Whether you choose to adopt this kitty or another one, if you begin to suspect FIP, I highly recommend looking at the work of Dr Diane Addie to learn about proper diagnosis, since a lot of vets are shockingly misinformed about diagnosing FIP. I have also had a good experience with the FIP Advisory and Care Group on Facebook, as they have people that can help you interpret test results.
It’s worth knowing that there are currently a few promising FIP drugs that have yet to get FDA approval. It’s opened a whole can of worms in FIP community, as black market versions are floating around, but who is to say their “success” cases actually had FIP, when misdiagnosis is so common? In any case, hopefully we will soon live in a world where FIP is not a death sentence.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
posted by ceramicspaniel at 8:55 AM on January 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
Hi! I’m not a vet, but my kitty had a false alarm with FIP. From my understanding of FIP, what is being transmitted from cat to cat is not FIP per se, but a coronavirus, which mutates to FIP in only about 10% of cats. It’s sort of a chicken pox and shingles situation. This VCA article states that as many as 80-90% of cats in a multi-cat environment will have had a coronavirus.
However, this UC Davis website says:
“While FCoV [feline coronavirus] is endemic in many multiple cat populations, FIP itself is not thought to be transmitted via direct contact between cats. Despite this, outbreaks involving substantially increased mortality due to FIP do occur in groups of unrelated cats in shelters or catteries.”
So, my guess is that FIP may be more likely in this particular shelter, but is a possibility when adopting from almost any breeder or shelter.
A majority of FIP cases are seen in cats under 2 years old, especially kittens. So, if you know the cat you are planning to adopt is older, this may help ease your mind.
Whether you choose to adopt this kitty or another one, if you begin to suspect FIP, I highly recommend looking at the work of Dr Diane Addie to learn about proper diagnosis, since a lot of vets are shockingly misinformed about diagnosing FIP. I have also had a good experience with the FIP Advisory and Care Group on Facebook, as they have people that can help you interpret test results.
It’s worth knowing that there are currently a few promising FIP drugs that have yet to get FDA approval. It’s opened a whole can of worms in FIP community, as black market versions are floating around, but who is to say their “success” cases actually had FIP, when misdiagnosis is so common? In any case, hopefully we will soon live in a world where FIP is not a death sentence.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
posted by ceramicspaniel at 8:55 AM on January 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is a cat hoarding situation, and possibly you should report them to the SPCA.
This is what my immediate reaction was. This shelter sounds like it is run by a hoarder and it will probably get worse over time. I would seriously consider reporting it. Even if it has been investigated before, conditions in animal hoarding situations generally change for the worse, and it might be worse now than before. It might also take a critical mass of reports before any action is taken.
I would not adopt from this shelter if I had other cats. If I didn't have cats, I would seriously think about the impact of adopting. It's heartbreaking to leave an animal behind; would adopting it, though, prolong the maltreatment of other cats? And could I afford the potential illnesses the cat would bring home? I don't know if there's a right answer there.
I don't think there's a choice that will feel good here, so whatever you decide, be easy on yourself.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:22 AM on January 16, 2020 [12 favorites]
This is what my immediate reaction was. This shelter sounds like it is run by a hoarder and it will probably get worse over time. I would seriously consider reporting it. Even if it has been investigated before, conditions in animal hoarding situations generally change for the worse, and it might be worse now than before. It might also take a critical mass of reports before any action is taken.
I would not adopt from this shelter if I had other cats. If I didn't have cats, I would seriously think about the impact of adopting. It's heartbreaking to leave an animal behind; would adopting it, though, prolong the maltreatment of other cats? And could I afford the potential illnesses the cat would bring home? I don't know if there's a right answer there.
I don't think there's a choice that will feel good here, so whatever you decide, be easy on yourself.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:22 AM on January 16, 2020 [12 favorites]
I agree with other posters that this doesn't seem like a shelter, it seems like a hoarding situation and it's probably going unlicensed or running with a lapsed license if it's a shelter. I don't know where you live but your state (if in the USA) has regulations for shelters. If this is a rescue operating like a shelter they would not be in compliance in my state. If the cats at the shelter have not been checked out by a veterinarian, they would not be in compliance in my state. If the cats do not have medical records on demand, they would not be in compliance in my state.
Rescuing a single cat from this situation could turn out fine, but it could also turn out catastrophic for your finances and your other cats. How much money would you be willing to spend on this cat if you find out it has FIP or some other critical illness? Are you even able to get pet insurance on it, without a veterinary record?
If I were in your shoes, I would probably contact my city's animal control for what amounts to a wellness check on the facility, and describe what I witnessed: intense smell, cats visibly sick. If there's a serious violation, those cats would be confiscated and given to a city-run pound, where their health would be assessed, and healthy ones put up for adoption. You could always adopt Cute Cat from there if he was indeed healthy.
posted by juniperesque at 9:51 AM on January 16, 2020 [4 favorites]
Rescuing a single cat from this situation could turn out fine, but it could also turn out catastrophic for your finances and your other cats. How much money would you be willing to spend on this cat if you find out it has FIP or some other critical illness? Are you even able to get pet insurance on it, without a veterinary record?
If I were in your shoes, I would probably contact my city's animal control for what amounts to a wellness check on the facility, and describe what I witnessed: intense smell, cats visibly sick. If there's a serious violation, those cats would be confiscated and given to a city-run pound, where their health would be assessed, and healthy ones put up for adoption. You could always adopt Cute Cat from there if he was indeed healthy.
posted by juniperesque at 9:51 AM on January 16, 2020 [4 favorites]
Currently purring on my lap and making it difficult to type is a cat from a terrible shelter. After we got her home and had bonded, we discovered she needed over $1,000 of dental work that the shelter should have noticed and told us about. She's a wonderful cat and I'm glad I have her, but next time I'm adopting a cat it will be from a proper place where I know the pets received decent care.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:39 AM on January 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:39 AM on January 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
I got my two cats from an amateur shelter. They didn't tell me one had myopathy blocking ninety percent of the blood flow in his heart. Watching him slowly die at eighteen months old, after spending circa four thousand dollars on scans, meds etc, and explaining what was happening to my kids, really really sucked.
His replacement was adopted from a vetinary practice. Don't do it.
posted by smoke at 11:48 AM on January 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
His replacement was adopted from a vetinary practice. Don't do it.
posted by smoke at 11:48 AM on January 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
Agree that adopting from a better shelter (which sounds, frankly, like ANY other shelter) will open up a better spot for another cat, and second to report this awful "shelter."
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:21 PM on January 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:21 PM on January 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you went with a friend to a friend-of-a-friend's house and they were hoarding cats, and offered you one of their sick cats for an adoption fee, would you do it? If you found out later that the cat was dying and needed palliative care, would you thank the stars that you at least got the cat out of that situation and could give it a good death, or would you regret getting the cat?
If you can afford the medical costs of saving a potentially-dying cat and you can handle *being* the palliative care team - go for it. Not everyone can, and that's okay. I'll be looking for a dog in the coming year, and I'm willing to take on a senior dog - if my finances can handle it - but I'd hope for a couple of years at least before losing that pet.
It sounds like you're looking for a longer term pet, and in this case, the odds are stacked against it.
I googled "head tilt cat" and came up with this informative link.
If the cat's ears aren't stinky and obviously infected, the next step is X-rays, a CT scan, or MRI, and maybe what sounds like a spinal tap - so there will be some costs.
posted by vitabellosi at 12:28 PM on January 16, 2020
If you can afford the medical costs of saving a potentially-dying cat and you can handle *being* the palliative care team - go for it. Not everyone can, and that's okay. I'll be looking for a dog in the coming year, and I'm willing to take on a senior dog - if my finances can handle it - but I'd hope for a couple of years at least before losing that pet.
It sounds like you're looking for a longer term pet, and in this case, the odds are stacked against it.
I googled "head tilt cat" and came up with this informative link.
If the cat's ears aren't stinky and obviously infected, the next step is X-rays, a CT scan, or MRI, and maybe what sounds like a spinal tap - so there will be some costs.
posted by vitabellosi at 12:28 PM on January 16, 2020
Ask to take the cat to a vet 1st, not the cat's fault it's stuck there. Report the shelter to town authorities; this should not be allowed to continue.
posted by theora55 at 12:46 PM on January 16, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 12:46 PM on January 16, 2020 [3 favorites]
I wouldn't do this unless I had a large budget for vet care.
posted by quince at 1:16 PM on January 16, 2020
posted by quince at 1:16 PM on January 16, 2020
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