By Cathy Davis
I want to talk to you today about test driving — yep, test driving. I think there is some kind of social stigma about this issue when it comes to adopting animals and I want to lay that to rest. And I know that adoption of a life long companion is not the same as purchasing a new car, but the fact is, it is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for yourself, your family, and your four legged family, and you need to know that there are many factors that need to be considered and if just one of them doesn’t line up with the others, there may be a disaster in the making.
Let’s say you go to the shelter, you fall in love with a kitty, and you desperately want to give her a new home. She is everything you ever wanted in a feline companion. She is friendly, beautiful, spayed, healthy, and as far as anybody knows she gets along great with other animals and loves children.
You adopt this kitty, take her home, and the first thing you do is place her on the floor and your dog, three kids and two other cats come rushing at her, the kids in friendly welcome, but the other critters in jealous hostility.
Wait, time out, let’s roll that tape back a few frames. First of all, what did we do wrong here? Oh, I know, ooo ooo, call on me! You go to a shelter and put a cat in a box and drive her home in this great big noisy car with the radio blaring and she’s traumatized and then you put her on the floor in the busiest room of the house and the entire household comes at her. Wrong approach. She started out terrified, now she’s beyond scared, now her fur is standing straight out, her eyes are as wide as saucers, her claws are extended and she could be peeing herself. And you think, “woah, this isn’t going to work out.”
So as part of your “test drive” let’s not take the car out on the interstate at 120 the first day you have her. Let’s place her gently in the garage and let her settle in. In other words, Fluffy needs time to get to know you, your scent, your home, where her litter box is, what noises are normal in the house, so find a quiet room for her and place her, food and water, and a litter box and walk away. Don’t let the entire household maul her, approach her, or run up to her in a friendly display of excitement. Fluffy needs time to calm down from her ride, get to know her surroundings, and ease into her environment.
Slowly over a couple of days open the door, let her wander out, let her get to know the lay of the land, on her terms in her own good time. If she hides under the sofa for a few days, don’t keep reaching in trying to grab her. You see this as an act of compassion, she see this as stalking. Don’t pick her up, let her jump into your lap. Don’t let your three kids pass her around in excited delight, let them sit on the floor and call her and let her come to them, sniff them, walk across them.
Now, this is the test drive part, you are giving Fluffy a chance to fit into your family and giving your family a chance to slowly and carefully welcome Fluffy. But sometimes it just doesn’t work out, sometimes you think your dog will love having a cat companion only to discover your dog thinks of cats as the ultimate tug toy, to be chased and tormented and tortured. You think your kids would love a kitty but discover that Amos is allergic to cats. You think that Fluffy loves other animals only to discover she should be the only child in a one child household.
Sometimes it just doesn’t work. And the point of my story is this, do not feel like a failure if an adoption is not working out, it happens sometimes, and the shelter will allow you to bring a pet back if it is not working out for some reason. In fact, it’s often preferred that you return a pet rather than try to find a home yourself because the Shelter can do background checks and make sure the next new home is a safe home for Fluffy.
So, I encourage you to adopt, there are many animals looking for a good home and the shelter has a lot of cats right now, but I also encourage you to respect the process enough to understand you are not a bad person if it doesn’t work out this time with this animal, and don’t give up, if you have a heart for the animals then there is one waiting for you right now, just give it a little time, a little patience, and work with the shelter personnel if you need some help or suggestions and let them know if you have issues, they will work with you and support you all the way.
