Loving feline pawrent gets turned away from private animal shelter for being “unfit to adopt” despite owning 3 healthy cats already

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
May 27, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

When one cat door closes, feline fam, another one opens. That's what we like to tell ourselves when we miss out on an awwpportunity in one way or another. And when it comes to finding yourself a new feline friend, the awwpportunities are literally endless thanks to the purrfectly omnipotent power of the Cat Distribution System. Sure, you can take matters into your own hands and try to adopt one from a shelter, but more often than not, a cat will be presented to you when the CDS has one (or four) ready for you.

This is what we want to say to the loving feline pawrent in this post: don't get discouraged, you will find your purrfect kitty when your time is right. You see, they got rejected from a private animal shelter when they applied to adopt a cute kitten. The shelter rejected their application, despite them already being a pawrent to three healthy cats! Luckily, the cute cat community had their back and gave them some heartwarming words. Read through the whole thread below!

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  • 01
    'I have been rejected for [such] simple things' DOSE SU
    via Angela Macario from Getty Images

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Hi everyone, need a little advice here. I've been recently going through the incredibly frustrating process of attempting to adopt a kitten. I've been rejected for simple things such as owning a senior
    via u/cityescapes
  • 03
    chihuahua and more recently, was rejected for having only female cats. The shelter said it was against the idea of giving me another female because it could cause hypothetical valence, behavior issues, and
    via u/cityescapes
  • 04
    that the kitten will bother my adult cats. I've had no trouble in the past introducing a kitten to my adult females. In my experience, my cats take to kittens very well!
    via u/cityescapes

  • We understand why they are being cautious, but in the end, if they're willing to save more cats from a life in a shelter, we think they should get the cat. Even a life with three older, grumpy siblings is better than solitary life without a hooman to love!

  • 05
    I feel disappointed I cannot adopt this kitten, but if there's some logic to what they say, I'm willing to listen to someone more experienced.
    via u/cityescapes
  • 06
    Update: Im overwhelmed at the amount of replies! Thanks everyone for advice, I'm trying to read through what I can since more keeps pouring in every minute! I think I'm going to weigh my options for awhile and hopefully find something that works for me!
    via u/cityescapes
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10510043136
    via rihaij from Pixabay

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 08
    catsandplantsandcats What country are you in? What you describe sounds so extreme, if you are in the US I would go to a different shelter, most don't have those sorts of restrictions.
    via u/catsandplantsandcats
  • 09
    Laney20 You're not doing anything wrong. They aren't really, either. Based on their experience, someone in your situation is less likely to keep/be a good home for the kitten. They don't
    via u/Laney20
  • 10
    know you and can't judge you specifically. They only have small amounts of data and that correlates with bad experiences they've had. So they try to minimize bad outcomes by rejecting you. I'm sure they'd
    via u/Laney20
  • 11
    even tell you they don't think you're bad or can't provide a good home. They jus have to draw the line somewhere and you happen to be on the other side of it.
    via u/Laney20
  • 12
    There are so many kittens out there. Choose a different rescue organization and maybe fill out their paperwork before meeting any kittens and getting attached..
    via u/Laney20
  • 13
    bridewithoutahead A lot of rescues and shelters are very strict about circumstances in which they'll adopt out a single kitten- many consider that bad practice, because a single kitten often
    via u/bridewithoutahead
  • 14
    will agitate adult and senior pets with its energy and need to play. It doesn't happen every time but it's common enough that the caution is warranted. Even if you search this sub you'll find tons of posts from
    via u/bridewithoutahead
  • 15
    people freaking out because their new kitten is bothering their adult cat. So, I don't think it's crazy on their part, even if the generalizations aren't true in your specific case. The rescues I know of will only adopt kittens in pairs unless there's another kitten or playful young adult cat in the home.
    via u/bridewithoutahead

  • Now that they're calling, we're sure the CDS will answer them any meowment now. It always comes when you least expect it. So probably on their drive home, they will find an itty bitty kitten just looking for a furrever home! Fingers crossed.

  • 16
    Left_Connection_8476 I've lived among mixed age and gender cats my entire life, all brought in at different overlapping times. Your plan is fine. They're just being overly
    via u/Left_Connection_8476
  • 17
    strict and ridiculous, and too nosy about your private living situation. I've heard that about some adoption centers. I use regular animal shelters, they are normal about basic screening.
    via u/Left_Connection_8476
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10510042880
    via gwendoline63 from Pixabay

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 19
    kellzma Some rescues and shelters are ridiculous. They have animals that need homes and people that want an animal, but they get denied cause they have a kid, or their yard isn't fenced in,
    via u/kellzma
  • 20
    or they rent. I get finding the best home possible, but some of the rejection reasons are crazy. I would try the local humane society or county animal shelter. That's where I adopted from and it was so easy. No home visits or personal references, and they're usually quite a bit cheaper.
    via u/kellzma
  • 21
    Fool_In_Flow Try your county shelter as opposed to non-profit shelters. Non-prof, private shelters often set very high standards, but at the ASPCA, or your local "pound" you can often walk out with a kitten on your first visit.
    via u/Fool_In_Flow
  • 22
    Inevitable_Salad161 Yes, go to the pound and save a life
    via u/Inevitable_Salad161
  • 23
    27Lopsided_Raccoons Go to a municipal shelter. They typically have less restrictions because they don't want to have to euthanize. If that doesn't work, private rehoming or letting people know you're looking for a cat aka assisted cat distribution system.
    via u/27Lopsided_Raccoons
  • 24
    duckingridiculous The shelters I went to refused to adopt out a single kitten. I had to take two, so i went through a breeder instead.
    via u/duckingridiculous

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adoption private strange kitten animal rescue adopted feline cat rescue pawrents forever home animal shelter Cats loving cute kittens animals rescue
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