Adopting Kittens

Many people come to Kitty Angels asking to adopt a kitten. We've put together this page with some helpful information about kittens and the adoption process. If you have additional questions, please let us know, either by e-mail or telephone.

Kitten Season

Some people wonder why we have so few kittens when they ask us in December. The reason is that most kittens are born in the spring and summer. We place kittens for adoption when they are three to four months old, not before that. "Kitten season", for us, typically runs late spring through late fall. If you're looking for a young kitten, summer is the best time to look. We do often have older kittens, 6-12 months, throughout the year.

Note that we usually don't put kittens on our Featured Felines pages because they are adopted so quickly. If you specifically want a kitten, e-mail us and let us know what you're looking for. If we have what sounds like a good match, we'll be in touch to let you know. We do not keep a waiting list if we don't currently have a match.

Kittens Need Adult Cats Around

It is Kitty Angels policy that kittens should be placed into a home with at least one adult cat in residence. This is necessary for the kitten to learn the feline "social graces". Kittens who grow up without adult companions often have behavioral problems that cause trouble for the humans in their lives.

Kittens Need Playmates

In general, we want kittens to be adopted with at least one other kitten, so that they can have a playmate with the same level of energy. We may allow a single adoption if there is another young cat already in the home, but this is very much dependent on our opinion of the personality of the kitten in question. We generally find that a single-adopted kitten wears out the humans (and the house), and may develop behavioral problems as well.

Kittens Need Patience

This above all... Many families adopt kittens "because they're so cute", but kittens are just like babies, except that their claws are sharper! Expect kittens to get into everything, to destroy at least one thing you cherish, and to sometimes make you wonder why you ever adopted a kitten in the first place! You'll need lots of patience, love, understanding, love, tolerance, love, and, yes, love for all of you to survive until the kitten grows up to be, yes, a "teenager" (an adolescent cat, starting at about 6 months.)