Adoption Policies: Cats

Application: MEOW must have an approved Adoption Application filled out and signed. You may complete the application either at the shelter or download it from our website and bring it along to the shelter. You will be interviewed by an Adoption Counselor to help you determine the pet(s) that best fit your household and family situation.

Indoor Only: MEOW is a member of the Puget Sound Cats Indoors Coalition. We have joined with the other animal and environmental organizations of the coalition to encourage families with cats to keep their cats indoors. In King County, the life expectancy of an indoor-only cat in 15 to 20 years. That figure drops to only 2 or 3 years for cats that are allowed to go outside unsupervised. Accordingly, MEOW adopts to indoor-only homes. This means INDOORS ALL OF THE TIME. We admit that MEOW is more stringent in this policy than many other organizations. If NEVER letting your cat outdoors does not suit your household, please let us refer you to other organizations which have a more lenient CONTRACT. Occasionally, we will have an adult cat who absolutely requires an indoor/outdoor home. In such case, we will make every attempt to ensure that the environment into which this cat is placed is as safe as possible

Landlord Approval: MEOW will require proof that you are allowed to have pets if you live in rental housing or in a condominium with animal restrictions in the by-laws. To avoid delays in adopting your pet, please bring a copy of your Lease along with your application.

Age/Employment: MEOW wants to adopt to those who are financially secure and in a stable living situation. For example, college students sometimes adopt animals then discard them when they graduate or even just go home for the summer. Because there may be, at some time, significant veterinary costs involved with any pet, we ask that people adopt only if they are over the age of 21 and financially able to bear the cost of future emergencies.

Declawing: There is a wealth of statistical information indicating that cats frequently suffer long term problems after being surgically declawed. These problems include both aggressive biting and eliminating outside the litter box. MEOW requires that you sign a CONTRACT agreeing that you will NOT have the cat's claws surgically altered in any way, including laser surgery or tendonotomy. If, for any reason, you feel you MUST have a declawed cat, we will be happy to give you a call when we rescue a cat that is already declawed. Read more about declawing at www.declawing.com.

Family Decision: Having a pet should be a pleasant and rewarding experience for all involved. If you have small children, please bring them with you when you come for your adoption interview. MEOW often has kitties who have shown themselves to be particularly tolerant of children. Our Adoption Counselors will work with you to determine the best fit for your family.

Lifetime Commitment: MEOW expects that when you adopt a pet you have made a decision to care for that pet for its entire life. A cat may be a 20 year commitment. Please think through this extremely important decision before you come to the shelter. A pet becomes a family member. A responsible pet owner/guardian makes life decisions to include their pets. Over the years we have placed more than 15,000 cats and kittens. Each year we still get hundreds of cats returned, for any number of reasons. Our goal is PERMANENT placement. For this reason, our Adoption Counselors have been trained to help you find the right pets for your home and your lifestyle.

MEOW Cat Rescue Organization
10600 NE 68th, Suite F, Kirkland, WA 98033 | (p) 425.822.6369
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