The intake type on the first page tells you more than the whole description. An owner surrender with a stated reason gives you history; a stray gives you a guess. This follows the checklist in what to check when adopting. Read the dates on every vaccine and test line, ask why any cat was returned, and request the medical record in printed form rather than a verbal summary.
Intake type: four words that change the risk
These four labels carry different information, and shelters use them consistently enough to be worth learning.
| Intake | What it means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Owner surrender | Previous home known, reason recorded | Exact reason, and whether they will talk to you |
| Stray | No history; age is an estimate | Days held, whether an owner was sought, FeLV test date |
| Transfer | Moved from another shelter for space | Origin shelter, transfer date, treatment since arrival |
| Return | Adopted, then came back | Why, how long it stayed, how many times |
Owner surrender is the most informative and the most misleading. "Moving" and "allergies" are the two most common reasons given, and both are often a polite version of a behavior problem. Ask whether the previous owner will speak to you for 5 minutes. A refusal is itself information.
Stray means everything is unknown, including age, which is usually estimated from teeth with a range of plus or minus 2 years. Expect parasites, an unverified vaccine history, and a FeLV/FIV result from a rapid test rather than a lab. Ask how many days it has been held, because a stray that has been in for 3 weeks has already shown you how it handles confinement.
Transfer cats usually come from a high-intake facility and arrive with little paperwork. Ask the transfer date. A cat transferred 2 days ago is an unknown quantity; one transferred 2 months ago and still not placed has a documented history inside this building, and that history is worth reading.
Behavior evaluations describe 20 minutes, not a life
Most shelter behavior assessments run 10 to 20 minutes in an unfamiliar room with a stranger, and they are known to underpredict problems as often as they overpredict them. A cat that flattens and hisses is being asked to perform in the worst conditions of its life. A cat that sits still may be shut down rather than friendly.
Weight the sources in this order: foster home history over 3 weeks, then staff notes from daily cleaning, then the formal evaluation. Daily cleaning notes are underrated. A line that says "eats immediately, uses box, comes to the front of the cage" describes 30 days of behavior, not 20 minutes.
Ask three plain questions: how many days has the cat been here, does it eat within 5 minutes of food going down, and has it ever urinated outside the box in the cage. The answers predict the first month at home better than any score.
Read the dates, not the checkmarks
A record that says "vaccinated" is not a record. Ask for the dates.
- FVRCP: 2 to 3 doses at roughly 8, 12 and 16 weeks, per the feline vaccine schedule. A single dose at 10 weeks is not a completed series, and the cat needs boosters.
- Rabies: one dose, with a date. Required by law in most US states and worth confirming before a move.
- Spay or neuter: a date, and whether it was pediatric, done before 8 weeks.
- FeLV/FIV: the test type (rapid in-clinic, 10 minutes) and the date. A negative at 6 weeks is not final, because kittens can test negative while infected; retest at 6 months.
- Deworming: product name and 2 to 3 dated rounds, not a single "dewormed" note.
- Microchip: the number and the registry it was registered with, which are two different things.
The 7 to 14 day return policy, translated
It means you can bring the cat back, not that the cat is healthy. Read the conditions: most require you to contact the shelter inside the window and return the cat in person, and most do not reimburse veterinary costs you spent in the meantime. Some void the policy if the cat was treated elsewhere.
Use the window properly. Book your own vet for day 2 or 3, and use the 14 days to see whether the cat eats, uses the box and sleeps in the open. A return in week 2 usually reflects a mismatch in household, not a defective cat, which is why the reason on the return line matters so much.
Ask how many times the cat has been returned. One return is common. Two is a pattern. Three means you should assume the problem is real and ask what was tried.
Ask for the original medical record
Request a printed copy, not a summary read aloud at the counter. You want dates, drug names, doses, weights and a vet's signature, because a summary drops exactly the details that matter.
Then read for trends. Weight is the most useful line in the file: a drop from 4.2 to 3.9 kilograms over one month is 7 percent on a cat that should not be losing anything, and it points at dental pain, kidney disease or hyperthyroidism. Look for repeated upper respiratory treatment, a heart murmur with a grade from 1 to 6, and a dental chart with extractions planned but not done.
What the file does not say
Note what is missing. No bloodwork means kidney and thyroid status are unknown, not normal. No fecal test means parasites are unruled out. Pay for your own exam within 48 to 72 hours of pickup, before the first 48 hours turn into a week: 60 to 120 dollars, and it is the only way to know what you actually brought home.
Frequently asked
Is a stray cat riskier than an owner surrender?
Usually yes, in terms of unknowns rather than danger. A stray has no medical history, an estimated age that can be off by 2 years, unverified vaccine status and likely parasites. A FeLV/FIV rapid test at intake is a snapshot, not a clearance, so ask for the date and plan a retest. Owner surrenders carry history, but treat reasons like moving or allergies as possible cover for a behavior problem.
What does a 14-day return policy actually cover?
It covers the ability to bring the cat back to that shelter inside the window, and very little else. Most policies require you to notify them and return the cat in person, do not reimburse vet costs you incurred, and are voided if the cat was treated at another clinic. Use the window to book your own vet on day 2 or 3 and to observe eating, litter box use and whether the cat sleeps in the open.
Which records should I insist on seeing before signing?
Four things: dated vaccine entries with the product name, a neuter date, the FeLV/FIV test type and date, and a weight trend across the stay. A drop of 0.3 kilograms on a 4 kilogram cat in one month is 7.5 percent and needs an explanation. If the shelter has no bloodwork or fecal results, treat kidney, thyroid and parasite status as unknown rather than normal and budget for your own exam within 72 hours.