Before you sign an adoption contract, ask about health history, why the cat is available, temperament with kids or other pets, and what happens if it doesn’t work out. A good shelter or rescue will have real answers to all four. If they don’t, that’s information too.
Adopting a cat is mostly an emotional decision, and it should be — but a few practical questions up front save you from surprises in week two. Here’s what’s actually worth asking.
Questions About Health History
Has this cat been examined by a vet, and can I see the records? Reputable shelters and rescues vaccinate, test for FeLV/FIV, and often spay or neuter before adoption. Ask specifically what’s been done and what’s still outstanding — you don’t want to assume a cat is fixed or tested when it isn’t.
Are there any known chronic conditions? Some rescues place cats with manageable conditions (a heart murmur, mild allergies, FIV-positive status) very openly, and that’s fine — plenty of these cats live long, normal lives — but you want to know going in, not find out at your first vet visit.
When was their last deworming and flea/tick treatment? Especially relevant for cats coming from outdoor or colony situations.
Questions About Behavior and Temperament
How do they do around other cats, dogs, and kids? Staff and foster families who’ve actually lived with the cat will have a real answer here — “we don’t know, they’ve only been in a kennel” is a legitimate answer too, and useful information in itself.
What’s their energy level and personality like? Shelters see cats in a stressful, unnatural environment, so ask specifically whether behavior in the shelter matches behavior in a foster home, if the cat has had one. A cat who seems shut-down in a kennel often opens up completely within a couple of weeks at home.
Do they have any resource-guarding, litter box, or scratching issues on record? Not disqualifying, but good to know before you bring them home rather than discovering it cold.
Questions About Their History
Why is this cat available? Owner surrender, stray intake, born into foster care — the reason matters less than the honesty of the answer. Cats surrendered for landlord or allergy reasons are common and say nothing about the cat; cats surrendered for behavior issues deserve a follow-up question about what specifically happened.
How long have they been at the shelter or in foster care? Long stays aren’t a red flag on their own, but combined with an honest conversation about why, it helps you understand what you’re getting.
What to Check Before You Sign Anything
Return and trial policies. Most reputable shelters and rescues want you to reach out if it’s not working rather than rehome the cat yourself — read the actual clause, not just the pitch. This is a safety net for the cat, not a loophole to exploit.
Adoption fee inclusions. Spay/neuter, vaccines, microchip, and a health exam are commonly bundled into the fee — confirm what’s included versus what you’ll need to arrange (and pay for) after.
Post-adoption support. Some organizations offer a behavior helpline or follow-up check-in. Not essential, but a good signal about how seriously they take successful placements.
If you’ve settled on a shelter cat specifically, our step-by-step shelter adoption guide walks through the process end to end, and if you’re deciding between a kitten and an adult cat, this comparison is worth reading first.
Red Flags to Walk Away From
- Refusal to let you see vet records or answer basic health questions
- Pressure to adopt on the spot without any information about the cat’s background
- No willingness to take the cat back if the placement doesn’t work
- Vague or evasive answers about why a cat is being surrendered by an individual seller (as opposed to “we don’t have foster history” from a shelter, which is honest, not evasive)
None of these mean the cat itself is a bad fit — they mean the organization or seller isn’t operating in a way that protects you or the cat, and that’s worth factoring into the decision.
The Practical Takeaway
Line up your vet visit before adoption day if you can, or within the first week at the latest — a baseline exam catches anything that wasn’t obvious in a shelter setting and starts your relationship with your vet on the right foot. Once you’ve brought your cat home, our guide to the first 30 days with a new cat covers what to expect as they settle in, and our new cat supplies checklist covers what to have ready before they arrive.
Asking good questions up front doesn’t guarantee a perfect match — no checklist can promise that — but it dramatically lowers the odds of a surprise you weren’t prepared for.