If you grew up with pets, you may well have been planning to get your own as soon as you’re able to. Rented properties come with clauses that make pet ownership impossible, and even the landlord is amenable, sharing a house whether it’s with friends or strangers can make getting your own cat impossible. There’s a host of issues that can make it hard, from the need to keep items like litter trays in communal areas, to your own worries that the people sharing with you might share your own careful regard for how best to treat a cat.

When the day comes and you’re ready and able to take a cat into your home, adopting one is often the best and most responsible course of action. Taking on the care of a pet someone else is ill-equipped to handle could be saving the life of that animal, and also doesn’t financially reward the business that breed the excess cats that wait with charities for adoption.

It’s not a problem free process though, and today we’re taking a look at how you can adopt a cat, and some of the pitfalls you might encounter along the way.

Visits

There are two types of visit you need to prepare for when you’re thinking about adopting a cat: visiting the cat, and a home visit where your flat or house will be checked out to ensure you can provide a safe home for your new pet.

You’re being judged both times, so make sure you’re conscious of your behaviour: don’t expect the cat to call in love with you immediately – it’s not familiar with you, and living in a stressful environment. Use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your patience. Let the cat come to you, pet it gently if at all, and give it a chance to get used to being around you.

When a representative from the charity visits your home make sure it is, at a minimum, clean and tidy. Put some thought into how your cat would fit into the space: where would keep a litter tray, food and water bowls for example? To what extent would your cat have access to the outside world?

Vets

Make sure you know where your nearest vet is. You’ll want to register a new pet as soon as possible, and have him or her checked over to see that they’re in good health, with no medical issues you may need to know about. Depending on how old the pet you’re adopting is, cat vaccinations may be necessary. Demonstrating you know where your local vet is can also signal that you’re a responsible owner and a good choice to home a cat with!