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| - I wanted to adopt a cat after seeing the folksy Toni and Al on TV each week with the available animals, so I started looking in the Cat Room (adult cats), many of whom were completely lethargic. I was warned by a volunteer NOT to try petting a couple of them, and also told that some were clearly "hard-to-adopt-out" and that at least one of the cats had been at the shelter for more than 3 years!
From there I went to the Kitten Room, where one 6-month-old neutered male quickly came up to me and seemed friendly. We had a chance to get acquainted and as I was filling out the paperwork, another volunteer mentioned that this particular cat's original name was "Monster" but that when he was surrendered by his original family, the shelter changed it "so he would have a better chance of being adopted". We laughed, but clearly that turned out to be a BIG RED FLAG about this cat's potential behavior.
The transition from shelter to my home seemed to be going well, but during our initial vet visit just 5 days later, the cat tore his way out of the cardboard carrier (given to me by the shelter) as I was driving. Although he had been sleeping quietly at the foot of the bed for the first week, he then began chasing around the house in the middle of the night, all night long, knocking things over and slamming into walls. His food/water consumption suddenly took off after two weeks, and I was having to re-fill his food dish at least 4 times a day--far more than the vet recommended, and he would howl loudly the minute the food dish was empty. Naturally, I also had to begin cleaning the litter box multiple times per day. I tried keeping him confined to a bedroom and attached bathroom (that I had made kitty-proof by removing many objects) whenever I went out to run errands, but if I left him alone for more than an hour or so, the place was torn apart when I got back. Even with a scratching post and catnip readily available, he was constantly shredding carpets and upholstered furniture. Although good-natured, and willing to sit in my lap and take treats, he suddenly scratched me across the face with no warning--that was the last straw.
The next morning, I called the shelter as soon as they opened to say that I would be surrendering the cat back to them. I was told that someone would call me right back. After 2 hours, I called again & received the same response. I finally received a return call after nearly 4 hours & was told that I could bring the cat in right away before the shelter closed in 1 more hour (they are only open 11-4).
I was given a two-page blue form to fill out, with all the details of the cat's history with me--where does he sleep, where is the litter box located and how often do you clean it, what brand of food & treats does he like, is he good with men/women/children/other cats/dogs, what are his five favorite toys in order of preference, has he ever bitten, tried to escape, etc. There must have been more than 30 very specific questions relating to his behavior.
Now I realize that a shelter cannot guarantee an animal's temperament, but it is clear to me that the Sun Valley Animal Shelter had all of this detailed info when the cat was first turned over to them by the original family, YET NONE OF THAT FAMILY'S COMMENTS WERE SHARED WITH ME!
This experience cost me a $100 adoption fee, a $60 bill for a vet appointment one week later, plus food, litter, etc. only to realize that I had adopted THE CAT FROM HELL. Meanwhile, the shelter will now likely get yet another fee for adopting this cat out again to some other unsuspecting person. I wonder if they will share my comments from that 2-page blue form and the detailed info that I documented in an attached 500-word typed statement?
Or will someone else have to go through what I did for 3 solid weeks, wondering what in the world is wrong with the cat they just adopted?
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