Conference misery::feline

    I do want to add my .02 cents worth regarding adopting a X-feral!!
    There is nothing like it in the world...all my cats love me...but
    Van Gogh is "in Love" with me.   This cat will just sit beside me
    and stares with these loving eyes that say "thanks".   I swear my
    hubby is jealous of this big guy.
    
    Sandy

    Another .01 cents:
    
    I think it depends also on the adopting person. I would adopt an adult
    cat again and again...
    
    A kitten grows with you, and becomes easier  like you and that's good
    for cat and human both. An adult has her/his full personality and can
    show better if s/he likes you. I vote for adults also for that reason,
    because kittens find easier a home in general, adults need more luck...

    
       Well I do have to say that just plain adopting any animal and giving
    it a loving caring home is wonderful.
    But I will admit that when I lost one of my babies and was looking at
    adopting another cat/kitten, my first thought was that more people
    probably adopt a kitten first. So, I decided I would adopt a cat, I
    said an older cat, well I ended up adopting a cat from the shelter who
    was estimated around 5yrs old (give or take) he is a beautiful, very
    playful, loving cat, who I love to pieces and couldn't imagine my 
    household without him and neither could my other cat (although she
    won't admit it).  He is a definite sweetheart and always keeps me
    laughing, i'm sure he amazes himself at times too.
    
    my couple of cents...
    Diana, Tykey & Domino
    

    I lost my cat awhile back, and decided to adopt a kitten.  When
    I got to the shelter and saw the adult cats, they were sooooooo
    beautiful.  I ended up adopting a cat two years old.  When it
    first came to my home, it hid for a few days.  It finally worked
    its way around the house and has become very attached to me.  I'll
    never forget the first time I left it alone overnight...we got home
    and she was actually mad at me!  What a cat.
    
    Adopting an older cat is also good for people who don't have time to
    spend with a kitten.  They pretty much are set in there ways, and just
    want to be loved.  No hanging from curtains, scratching things,
    boxtraining, etc. 
    
    Brenda
    
    proud owner of SPRINKLES

    I am a SERIOUS animal lover and have become quite active in placing
    unwanted animals into loving homes (sort of an adoption center...) and
    for those of you who are considering adopting an adult cat - GO FOR IT!
    
    Adult cats, like a previous noter said, more mature and most of them
    are housebroken and "know the rules" (like stay off the counters, etc). 
    My advice to you would be to BE PATIENT.  It will take a while for your
    new kitty to become comfortable with the new surroundings - the noises
    and smells will all be brand new.  You might witness some odd behavior
    i.e. the cat stays under the couch and you never see them - but
    remember that most of this is temporary behavior and should pass.  If
    you already have a cat or kitten, you can expect some territorial
    behavior AT FIRST, but within a few weeks, they will be playing
    together and will be kitty buddies.
    
    Good luck to you - if this were a perfect world there would be no
    animal shelters and ALL of the kitties and dogs would have loving homes
    with us.... but it is not a perfect world.
    
    FYI more than 81% of all kitties in animal shelters are killed EACH
    YEAR.  Try to educate those around you about spaying and neutering to
    eliminate the overcrowding of unwanted sweet litttle kitties.
    
    Val
    (who absolutely loves "Bunnie" and "Ed")
    

           I agree.  Adult cats are great and definately my preference.
    Out of all the adoptions I've had in my life, I have adopted only
    3 kittens.  The rest were all adults.  I have found that in a multi-cat
    household, adopting a mature cat is often the best way to determine
    whether that individual will "fit" into  your particular household.
    EAch cat is an individual, just like humans, or dogs or anyone else and
    they all have a distint personality.  When you adopt an adult, you have
    a much better chance of knowing what your'e getting.
           Plus, they are just so sweet and loving!
    
           Denise and the gang of now 12!
             (10 adult housecats and 2 ferals)

    I think Buster adopted us, although he couldn't figure out where he
    permantly belonged, so we(my friend and I) helped him with that
    decision.  He's a elderly gentleman (between 8-11).
    
    He is the most loveable ex-feral I have ever met!  but we respect the
    fact that he is feral, and dosen't entirely trust us when it comes to 
    medicating him (pennicillin for the pnemonia SP)...but we take ample
    precautions, and has never taken off or strayed away since he was 
    brought home from the vets.
    
    I love buster, and I hope he's around many more years to come!

    Beauty is an ex-feral cat of 10 years.  He also just sits and stares at
    us with his beautiful golden eyes.  He is also the best for giving
    medication to.  He has yet to try to claw or bite us.  
    
    Sandi and the Storm Troopers
    

    Out of the 7 cats who have passed through my life, 4 were adult
    cats, including my little deceased pal Charm, whom I adopted when
    she was seven.  Kittens are wonderful, but the older cat doesn't
    always have a chance.  I've never regretted a single purr,snuggle
    or meow of any of them....:-)
    
    Mary-Michael, Misha, Mips and Belle

    I much prefer adult cats too.  Kittens are adorable, but a bit too
    rowdy for my tastes.  Besides, too many adult cats are passed up every
    day by people who want a cute little kitten.
    
    Even with my love for purebred cats I would still rather wait for a
    breeder to retire an adult from her/his program vs. purchase a kitten,
    or wait for a purebred type to appear at a shelter that really needs a
    loving home.
    
    -Roberta
    

    Another reason to adopt an older cat is that you (normally) don't have
    to spay or neuter the animal. 

    Another reason...you won't have to deal with kittenhood!!!  Two
    years ago I had four under the age of 1....and life was hell.  All
    I can remember is kitties running over me at 2:00AM....poop stuck
    to their behinds or toes as they trample through the house, food
    spilled everywhere, curtain torn down, dried flowers ruined,
    toilet paper everywhere, kittens in toilets, ....etc!!!  Makes
    me wonder how I survived!!
    
    At this point...I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for another kitten!!!
    I love the peace with older adults!!!
    
    Sandy

    Ditto to Sandy Merritt's note!  :-)  I have acquired six cats in less
    than a year, and the first four were all kittens together.  I never
    thought I'd sleep a full nite again!!!!!!  Not to be gross, but I
    continue to remember (as Sandy points out) the poops on toes.....or
    the ones they'd eat, and then they'd run onto my chest while I was
    sleeping and want to kiss me.....I'd awake to the smell of kitten poop.
    Lovely!
    
    Nan

Because there are so many sweet, sweet adults cats who need homes (like
Mr. Misha).  It's tough when they have to compete with the kittens, who are
cute and cuddly.  Of the 8 cats that have trooped through my life, 5 were
adopted as adults.  They were polite, trained, cats who had definite
purrsonalities.  I've enjoyed each of them immensely. 

Mary-Michael

    
         Re:12    You probably didn't write it to be funny,  but Gosh that
    was funny!  I had tears coming out of my eyes trying not to laugh too,
    too loudly............

    When I finally graduated from college and moved out on my own, I knew
    even before I moved that I would be needing a kitty buddy.  A woman at
    the hospital where I was working needed to get rid of her two cats, due
    to an allergic new baby - can't understand that choice! ;^)  Anyway,
    Woody fit right in to my lifestyle, even tolerated the 6 1/2 hour drive
    to our new home the very first day we got him.
    
    On the other hand, Sojou came to me when he was about 6 weeks old,
    after being abandoned when his mother was killed before he was even a
    month old.  I don't think I can go through the kitten stage again for a
    long, long time.  I agree with the poop tracks through the apartment,
    the clawing, and the 2:00 AM wake-up calls - not very enjoyable.  He
    is, however, very affectionate because of the treatment he got as a
    kitten (well, he's still not quite a year old), whereas Woody can be a
    bit more distant and reserved, but that may just be his own
    personality.  
    
    My next cat will most likely be an adult, unless it's a kitten that
    desperately needs me!  
    
    Thanks,
    Sarah