12 Questions on a Cat Adoption Application

An adoption application is not a test you can charm your way through; it is a 30 to 45 minute check of 3 things — that the housing allows a cat, that every adult in the home agrees, and that you have a plan for the day it stops being convenient. The 12 questions below cover what most shelters score, and the answers that get applications declined are rarely about income. They are about a landlord who was never asked, a partner who was never consulted, and a sentence like we will rehome it if it scratches the sofa.

What the form is actually measuring

Shelters lose money on every adoption — a cat that costs 270 to 630 USD in vet work often leaves with a 150 to 400 USD fee — so the form is a risk filter, not a revenue gate. Three patterns predict a return: a rental with no pet clause, a household where 1 adult did not want the cat, and an adopter who describes the cat as a gift for someone else. Answer with specifics and numbers. "We have 2 adults, 1 child of 6, a 2-bedroom rental with a written pet addendum, and a 3,000 CNY annual vet budget" reads better than "we love cats". Expect the interview to run 30 to 45 minutes and to be asked the same question twice, in different words.

The 12 questions, and what each one scores

#	Question	Points	Document asked
1	Do you own or rent, and does the lease allow cats?	15	Lease or deed
2	Has the landlord agreed in writing?	10	Signed pet addendum
3	Does every adult in the home agree?	10	1 signature per adult
4	What other animals live there, and are they vaccinated?	8	Vaccine cards
5	Which clinic will see this cat, and when?	8	Clinic name, first visit date
6	What is the monthly cat budget?	8	None, verbal
7	How many hours a day is the home empty?	8	Work schedule
8	Who feeds and scoops when you travel?	5	Name and phone number
9	Will the cat go outdoors or be declawed?	8	Signed statement
10	What happens if you must give the cat up?	8	Return agreement
11	Are there children under 6 at home?	6	None, home visit
12	Who cares for the cat in 10 years, or if you die?	6	Named guardian

Residence proof: the 3 documents that settle it

Renters fail here more than anywhere else, and it is fixable in 1 week. Bring the lease page that names pets, a pet addendum signed by the landlord, or a 1-page written consent with the landlord's phone number so the shelter can call. In China, a rental contract plus the landlord's ID-matched consent message is usually enough; a property deed works for owners. If the lease bans pets, do not describe the cat as a temporary guest — shelters call, and a mismatch ends the application on the spot. Owners should bring a mortgage statement or deed plus 1 utility bill from the last 60 days.

Household consent is a signature, not a feeling

Ask for 1 signature per adult, including the flatmate who says they do not mind. The most common return reason in the first 90 days is a partner or parent who never agreed, and the shelter sees it because the second adult cannot answer basic questions: what the cat eats, where the box goes, who pays the vet. Settle 3 things in writing before the interview — who scoops daily, who pays the 150 to 400 USD fee, and which room is the cat's first 14 days. If someone in the home is allergic, say so and bring the plan: the cat stays out of 1 bedroom, a HEPA filter runs in the main room, and hands get washed after handling.

Read the return clause before you sign

5 clauses matter. First, the cat comes back to the shelter or rescue, never to a stranger found online — this one protects the cat and is non-negotiable in most contracts. Second, the refund window: many shelters refund nothing after 30 days, some refund 50% within 14 days. Third, who pays for vet care found in the first 14 days — a cat with a pre-existing condition can leave you with a 500 to 1,500 USD bill that the contract may or may not cover. Fourth, the follow-up call at 7, 30, and 90 days. Fifth, the microchip: it stays registered to the shelter for 12 months in many contracts and transfers to you after that.

Use the 7-day cooling-off period

Most shelters hold a cat for 7 days after approval, and that week is the most useful part of the process. Visit twice, at least 2 hours apart in the day, and watch how the cat reacts to being handled, to a carrier, and to noise. Write the first-year numbers down: food 300 to 600 USD, litter 150 to 300 USD, vet 200 to 400 USD, insurance 180 to 420 USD, and a one-time setup of 100 to 250 USD. If 2 visits and those 5 numbers still look fine, the adoption is a decision rather than an impulse.

Red flags in your own answers

Reviewers mark down 4 phrases: "it will live outdoors but come in sometimes", "we will figure out the vet later", "we want a kitten because they are cuter", and "if it does not work out we have friends who want it". Each one signals that the cat is disposable. Age requests also cost points: a household asking for a kitten under 4 months is often declined in favour of one willing to take a cat of 1 to 8 years. If you have no cat history, say what you have done instead — 10 hours of volunteering at the shelter, a foster stint of 3 weeks, or a completed online course on cat behavior.

First-week steps

1. Collect the lease or deed, the landlord consent, and 1 utility bill before you fill anything in.
2. Get 1 signature per adult on a single sheet, and add the 3 house decisions in writing.
3. Name the clinic and book the first visit within 48 hours of pickup.
4. Read the return clause line by line, and ask what the refund window is in days.
5. Use the 7 days to visit twice and to price the first year, not to buy a bed in 3 colors.

Worth reading before the interview: how a shelter reads an application, and the first-year cost table that answers the budget question with numbers instead of adjectives. Households open to a harder case should read special-needs adoption first, because that is where the return clause earns its keep.

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