Cat Adoption Application: Fill & Download for Free

I'd stopped into Petco to pick up food for my 2 cats, and I stopped by the adoption area to say “hi" to the cats currently housed there, like I always do. All 4 of the local shelter's enclosures, or cat condos as I thought of them, were occupied. The cat in the upper right cube caught my attention. He was a chunky, all-white young adult male who was, at that moment, up on the raised shelf in his cube having a leisurely bath. He was sitting up in that undignified sprawl that cats sometimes do, with his back legs sticking out awkwardly in front of him, and he was half-slumped against the wall for support. He looked like Jabba the Hutt, if Jabba had been a cat. I had to laugh. He was ridiculous. See for yourself:The shelter volunteer came over and we started talking as the white cat continued to bathe himself. I could hear his loud slurping as the volunteer and I talked. This cat, whose shelter name was Skittles, had been a barn cat for the first year of his life. He was then brought to the shelter, neutered, and had surgery to fix his left eye, which had entropion - a painful condition where the eyelashes grow inward and constantly scrape at the eye.This is one of his profile photos from the shelter's Petfinder listing for him, taken before he had the surgery. I can imagine how painful it was.His eye was mostly healed from the corrective surgery by now, but it still looked a bit red and a little wonky, and I'm certain it was why he hadn't been adopted yet. People tend to pass over shelter animals that look ill or “damaged" in any way. (SMH — their loss.)The shelter volunteer told me that Skittles was unhappy at Petco because he hated being confined in small spaces, and I could totally understand that. As we talked, Skittles finished his bath, and started paying attention to us. Of course I stuck my fingers through the holes in the Plexiglas to give him a little chin-scratching; the volunteer said, “Do you want to pet him?” Without waiting for my answer, she unlocked his cube, and I was face to face with 14.5 solid pounds of curious cat.I started petting him as we continued to talk, and within a few minutes, Skittles was purring. I leaned a little bit into the cube to keep him from hopping out and rested my arm along the floor of his cube, and he almost immediately flopped down and curled into the curve of my arm, his floofy butt in my armpit, and rested his blocky head in my hand, still purring. I kept skritching his head and neck, and the volunteer said with a smile that she'd never seen him connect with anyone the way he was doing with me.Then Skittles happy-drooled on me.For people not fluent in cat-speak: some cats drool when they are extremely happy. But it was an exceptional thing in this case, because Skittles was unhappy in his little cube at Petco; he was stressed, in a loud and unfamiliar environment, and a complete stranger was petting him in a manner that many cats won't allow their “forever human" to do. Yet there he was, showing complete trust in me, and happy-drooling on my hand!Stick a fork in me, I was done. I went home and filled out the online adoption application, had my phone interview a few days later, and the following Saturday, on a freezing February afternoon, I brought my boy home.That was almost 2 years ago. He's 3.5 years old now, and is quite a character. I haven't questioned my decision, or regretted it, even once. And although he hasn't drooled on me since I brought him home, I'm 100% sure he's a happy little dude.(Edited to add photos, and his name: Simon Phoenix, the Demolition Cat)EDIT: Aug. 26, 2019 - Holy cow! Almost 4,000 upvotes?!? I had no idea this many people would be interested in Simon's “origin story.” Thanks, everyone!EDIT #2: September 13, 2020 - I am gobsmacked. Over 8,900 upvotes!!! Thank you all… you guys are makin' me blush. I'll pass the love along in a little while to Simon; he's currently asleep in his heated cat bed and snoring very, very loudly. :) And here are 2 bonus photos of him, because the internet needs more cat pictures. LOLGlamour shot:O hai

First, the beginning…A stray cat was suffering from the hardships of street life. He had contracted mange, a skin disease that spread throughout his body. He was so badly infected by microscopic mites that had burrowed into his skin, his eyes were shut tight by a thick layer of crust. He had lost large patches of hair over his ears. He was bony and starving, unable to find scraps of food because he had been unable to open his eyes. He was weak and lethargic from hunger and dehydration. The poor cat was dying.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesOne afternoon, a man spotted the diseased cat on his driveway, eating ravenously from the food bowl he had set out for his own pet cat. Rather than chase the starving intruder away, the kindhearted man captured the cat by enticing him with tiny morsels of food inside a cage. The man knew he wasn’t qualified to care for a cat in such a dire condition though, and posted for help online.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesCarmen, a cat foster and rehabilitator, responded to the post and picked up the vagrant cat the following morning. The first stop was to the vet’s office. The cat was microchipped and his owner was contacted, but the owner declined to take him back. Carmen took the unwanted cat home.Because of his white coat, she named him Cotton. Over the next several weeks, Carmen worked long, arduous hours to save him. Daily, she rubbed ointment over Cotton’s sores, fed him a special diet, applied antibiotics to his wounds and coconut oil to his skin. Daily, Cotton purred in return.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesDay by day, the mite infestation decreased. But still, Cotton couldn’t open his eyes. The vet had warned Carmen that even if his eyes did reopen, they would most likely be damaged. Cotton may remain blind for the remainder of his life.That didn’t stop Carmen from giving Cotton the love and care he needed. Over several weeks, Cotton slowly began to improve. He began to gain weight and his fur began to return.Then, one magical, fairy tale day, Cotton opened his eyes. The blind cat, once so close to death, was finally able to see again. Carmen was rewarded with the sight of his most beautiful eyes.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesBut this story doesn’t end quite yet.Carmen’s mission was only partially complete. Now that he could finally see and was healthy, she knew it was time to give Cotton up for adoption. It is, after all, the ultimate, albeit distressing, goal of animal rescuers.She posted his photo on her website and the adoption applications began streaming in.Now, there are some who believe cats are aloof. They don’t show affection, much less, love. But I know cat lovers will heartily disagree.Cats do feel love and give love in return…Cotton meowed for Carmen whenever he couldn’t see her, even if she was but a room away. He curled up beside her daily, and nightly, bedded beside her; he followed her through the house and through the hours of day and night.After all the suffering Cotton had been through, Carmen couldn’t put him through the heartbreak and confusion of being abandoned once again, even if there were strangers now willing to take him. Carmen had a change of mind and heart. She decided not to give him away.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesShe realized the need to find Cotton a new home had been supplanted by a more empathic ideal. Cotton, the once lost, blind and unwanted cat, was healthy and happy. He had chosen his forever family; his forever home. Carmen wasn’t going to take that away from him.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesThe end.Please note that I am merely the story teller. I wrote this answer to share the incredible, beautiful journey Carmen and Cotton have chosen to take together.Below is more information about Carmen:Carmen Morales Weinberg is the founder and owner of Animal Friends Project, a non-profit organization in Florida.[1][2]Footnotes[1] ANIMAL FRIENDS PROJECT… Trap, Neuter, Heal … Love[2] 'Blind' Cat Has The Most Beautiful Eyes When He Finally Opens Them

Pet stores have a conflict of interest in screening prospective owners. Pet stores need to move product out of the store before it reaches its “sell by” date, and for puppies, that’s somewhere around 16 weeks.Pet stores where I live do not sell dogs and cats. Pet stores often have a cat adoption center, because cats can live in small cages fairly comfortably. Rescue groups manage the adoption application; the pet store simply provides the space.If you want a dog, go to an animal rescue organization.The most shocking thing I saw during a trip to NYC in 2016 was puppies in a pet store window. I haven’t seen that in North Carolina in forever.