* In fact, a cat adopted from a shelter or rescue will often spend the rest of their lives thanking you for choosing them. They are desperate for the attention they were used to receiving or that they never had. Many would just love to cuddle up and sleep with you at night. A kitten however, loves nothing more than playing at night and keeping you awake!
* Cats stay still long enough for you to pet them and many enjoy spending their time curled up on their humans' lap. Kittens prefer to run around.
* Cats are just as cute as kittens! Kittens are little, but cats are not much bigger. The little kitten stage is very short-lived, so you are going to wind up with a cat anyway. And let's face it, cats are beautiful at any age.
* Adult cats make better pets than kittens do for children, especially children under 5 years of age. Kittens mistakenly scratch people when they play as they have not yet learned to keep their claws retracted. Adult cats have learned to take cues from people, something kittens don't know how to do. When an overzealous child won't let up with the cat, the adult cat will use logic and jump up high to get away, swat without claws, or hiss to warn. A kittens' reaction is to bite, wrestle, and "play attack" the child when they get over stimulated. Not only is a young child much more likely to get hurt by a kitten, but a kitten, as opposed to an adult cat, is much more likely to get hurt by the child.
* Adult cats make better companions for other adult cats that are already in the household. An adult cat generally does not appreciate a rambunctious kitten, and the adult often gets harassed when the kitten reaches adolescence. This can cause a lot of stress for the older cat. Generally, cats over 3 years of age are less playful and live more peacefully with other cats 3 years of age or older.
* Cats don't play and throw litter out of the litterbox (O.K. most of them don't) like most kittens do.
* Cats going to a new home are not dealing with the trauma of being separated from their mom, like a kitten would. Being separated from its mother is VERY hard on a kitten emotionally, so one must be willing and able to put in a lot of work and effort into a kitten. This is time consuming.
* You know what the personality of an adult cat is and how it will fit into your lifestyle. A kitten's personality doesn't emerge for a while, and with genetics playing a large part in this, you have less of a choice in picking your ideal cat. Some personality types of adult cats include:
-rambunctiously playful to the point of knocking things down (some people
like this).
-faithfully affectionate in a tranquil way.
-demanding of your attention.
-prefers male human friends.
-prefers female human friends.
-talker (meows anytime it wants to tell or ask you something).
-type that enjoys being picked up and held.
-type that springs off of you every time you pick it up (prefers laps).
-follower, has to follow you everywhere: to the bathroom, to the kitchen, etc.
-helper, likes to "help" you with the laundry, with getting food out of the
fridge, helps you read by laying on the book you're trying to read.
-quiet type, prefers to sleep a lot and be left alone.
* When adopting an adult cat, you know for sure what your cat will always look like. Kitten's faces and eye color change in the first year, and some can look quite different when they grow up. The color and length of their fur can change too.
* Since there are more cats needing homes than kittens, you have more of a choice in getting what you want in an adult cat.
* Most cats up for adoption are already neutered and have completed their vaccinations. With kittens, you are lucky if they are even started on their first set of shots (keep in mind kittens need a series of three or more vaccinations). Then there is the cost of kitten food, which is expensive!
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