We went thru this with our 2 cats. They just want to make sure you are a responsible and able to take care of the cats. No big deal at all. Not sure why OP is bothered by this.

I got rejected by a dog rescue because I was single and had a job. They wanted a stay at home pet parent for the dog.

I gave up and got a give away cat. That cat was so spoiled.

The MoCo shelter adopts cats without a home study.

I can understand vetting the owners, but home studies are just too much. Cats are being euthanized every day for lack of homes.

I'm all for letting pet owners, but when you have to do more than it takes to buy a gun, something is out of whack.

My SIL would love another cat, she took acare of three srtray kittens til the end if their long lives. But she refuses to go through a home visit because she feels like it's just too much. Their house is fine, she's retired and home a lot.

Instead, she's decided not to get a cat while shelters an hour away are having to kill cats and dogs everyday because no one wants them.

I went through Homeward Trails. They had me fill out a form that said I wouldn't declaw a cat and I had to list what vet I'd bring her to. The "homestudy" was a lady looking at my lease to make sure it allowed pets, and asking me where I'd put the food and water bowls and litter box. The cat was in a foster home and they actually dropped her off the following weekend. When we got another cat from Lucky Dog, we went to visit her at her foster home and would have taken her home that day except she needed surgery and the rescue had already planned for it. We picked her up at the foster about a week later.

Based on those experiences, I can recommend those two rescues. But I hope things work out for you!

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP, yes, they do good work. But there's a power thing that happens and they get a little carried away. I've owned 4 cats over the last 25 years. Three of those cats lived into their late teens, one is still with me and will hopefully be with me for years to come. They didn't like a couple of things and I think it's doubtful they are going to approve us to adopt.

We ran into the same issue trying to adopt in DC. They didn't want to adopt to us because we both had full time jobs. Ridiculous. I had owned pets all my life and grew up on a farm -- I had literally cared for dozens of animals daily for two decades. no cat for me!

I was the poster who suggested going to WV. We had two kittens in an hour. It has been ten years and those cats are still with us and treated like royalty. I have spent thousands in vet care on them. I understand the need to make sure homes are basically good but some rescues go WAY too far.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP, yes, they do good work. But there's a power thing that happens and they get a little carried away. I've owned 4 cats over the last 25 years. Three of those cats lived into their late teens, one is still with me and will hopefully be with me for years to come. They didn't like a couple of things and I think it's doubtful they are going to approve us to adopt.

Go to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. As long as you can prove you live in a rental that allows cats (or you own) and you answer “no” to whether you will declaw the cat, I guarantee you will be approved on the spot. Cats are a dime a dozen, and there is no reason to jump through hoops for one.

-Also owns/has owned multiple cats

When we adopted from the Feline Foundation of Greater Washington many years ago, they did call my friends as references. And there was an application to fill out.

This last time we adopted from Lost Dog and Cat Rescue, and there was an application, but no references needed. They did try to match us with the right cat for our family (we have an older cat, and we ended up adopting two kittens).

I'm the OP, yes, they do good work. But there's a power thing that happens and they get a little carried away. I've owned 4 cats over the last 25 years. Three of those cats lived into their late teens, one is still with me and will hopefully be with me for years to come. They didn't like a couple of things and I think it's doubtful they are going to approve us to adopt.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They want to make sure you actually want a pet, know what you're getting into, and aren't a total moron. People do horrible, cruel, or stupid things to animals. And even those that don't, adopting a cat and then deciding a week later that you really didn't want it and are taking it back is really hard on the animal and wastes shelter resources. I think it's good that they thoroughly screen applicants.

This. So far my experience is that the rescue / shelter claims that there are these requirements, but when I showed up (for instance) with a carrier in my car and was on the phone to my vet seeing if I could make an appointment for a new kitty, I was sent home with him that night.

Yes, but they need to be reasonable, especially if it's a shelter that can't take care of the pets it has without putting some of them down. I had one shelter turn me down for a cat because I had a child under the age of 2. That's really unreasonable.

Anonymous wrote:They want to make sure you actually want a pet, know what you're getting into, and aren't a total moron. People do horrible, cruel, or stupid things to animals. And even those that don't, adopting a cat and then deciding a week later that you really didn't want it and are taking it back is really hard on the animal and wastes shelter resources. I think it's good that they thoroughly screen applicants.

This. So far my experience is that the rescue / shelter claims that there are these requirements, but when I showed up (for instance) with a carrier in my car and was on the phone to my vet seeing if I could make an appointment for a new kitty, I was sent home with him that night.

They want to make sure you actually want a pet, know what you're getting into, and aren't a total moron. People do horrible, cruel, or stupid things to animals. And even those that don't, adopting a cat and then deciding a week later that you really didn't want it and are taking it back is really hard on the animal and wastes shelter resources. I think it's good that they thoroughly screen applicants.

I adopted from a rescue that pulls from high kill shelters. I had to provide a vet reference and meet the foster parent. I came home with her that day. We wanted a calm, friendly older cat so there weren’t many hoops to jump through.

And I agree- rescues do good work.

Drive to WV. Pay a small fee and take a sweet cat home immediately.

^^I should add I prefer going through reputable rescue orgs. Whether or not the cats are placed with fosters, they are well socialized and have had good medical checks.