Kitten season is officially here, and I'm telling you not to adopt a kitten. Am I crazy? Maybe.
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| Kitten season! Hysterical image borrowed with love from The Oatmeal. |
But here the thing about kittens: They're a handful.
Kittens are like out-of-control toddlers who are small enough to hide behind your refrigerator or behind that box in the back of your closet or in some crevice you didn't know existed -- just to give you a panic attack that you lost them. They never stop, which means you have to constantly play with them, or else risk losing all your iPhone charger cords to them because they think they're toys (this will probably happen anyway).
And their claws are like little needles. Kittens have the sharpest pin-point daggers. If you have a kitten, everyone will know it because your arms and probably the bottom half of your legs will show them (did I mention they climb your legs like trees?).
Psst... look how cute Trinket is! Also, this is the Facebook page for my local animal control where we get more of the transport kitties from.
The shelters are about to be overflowing with cuddly, adorable, cute kittens, and I'm telling you not to adopt them. You know why?
Because it's the adult cats who are going to lose out. The kittens will get adopted. No matter what, there are always people who are convinced they want a little baby and go in with blinders, seeing only them.
But the adult cats in the shelter... they sit and wait and get ignored. And because of the sheer number of kittens coming in now, and how much more "adoptable" they are,
the adult cats get dealt the "urgent" card first, and unfortunately faster than usual since shelters need more space during kitten season.
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| This amazing lion is at Cats Exclusive in Margate, FL. If you went in looking for just tiny kittens, you'd miss out on this masterpiece! He and several other GORGEOUS cats just found themselves there after their mom (a breeder) passed away. |
You know what else?
An adult cat has manners. He's gotten out of his cyclone kitten stage. He probably won't climb your curtains. Chances are he'll know better than to get on your kitchen counters. He'll sleep through the night. He'll still play, but he'll also let you watch TV, put on your sweatpants without playing with the waist string and he won't eat your Apple chargers. He can't fit behind the refrigerator, so you won't lose track of him, and he'll have grown out of that needle-claw age.
An adult cat will still be with you for lots of years, and has lots of love to give. You get a great cat, without having to literally raise a child and teach him everything from scratch. And he'll love you just as much as a tiny kitten would... if not more.
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| Moo became part of my family when he was about a year and a half old. I wonder about his kitten years, but I don't feel like I missed out on a thing! He's perfect! |
He'll curl up in bed with you at night and meet you at the door when you get home and play with toys and lie on comfy cat beds and look adorable sitting on your couch, just like a kitten. He'll do cute things and be fluffy and soft and sweet, and he'll be even more grateful to be in your home. He is old enough to know he was "dumped" at the shelter, and old enough to know how lucky he is that you picked him.
So let those stubborn people who don't know any better adopt the rugrat kittens.
Spread the word and tell your friends: Adult cats are where it's at!
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| Meet Sugar! He's at Good Karma Pet Rescue in South Florida. Sugar's name is quite appropriate since he is exactly that - sweet as sugar! He's just the nicest kitty. Sugar is about two years old. He's gets along well with other cats and is just such a love. We can't wait to see this handsome boy find his forever home. He has a long life ahead of him and he deserves to spend it with a loving family! |
P.S. Cute is back! Thanks to everyone for understanding my much-needed break. It was great! I did a little thinking, and while the Cute will still be about cute cat videos, it will also be about other cute things and a little more writing. I love cute cat videos, but after almost 6 years of them, it's time for to mix in a little change. I love writing, so more of that it is! And cute cat videos, of course. And Three Cats Thursday! Plus, Pimp, Moo and Phantom will probably be making even more appearances!
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