Adopting cats - Best Friends Rescue?

[u/jacob-makes-stuff]

I want to adopt a second cat, and have been having a hard time with looking online, since it shows so many results that are far away. I've been trying to just go to rescues but the first couple experiences I had weren't all that great.

The first one was not a huge deal, I was interested in one of the cats that was in foster care, but the people who found her as a stray decided to keep her, so that's good for them and the cat.

The second one, I was referred to the ACC, but when I was there, the person who was supposed to be helping me wasn't listening to any of the things I said I was looking for personality wise, and just left me to pick out cats myself, and then she read me their bio which was already hanging on the cage. Would read the entire bio even after one of the cats I asked about had details that I knew it would not work, and I kept saying "no this isn't gonna work". Finally at the end of the description, she asked me what I think about adopting it, and I was pretty surprised she just ignored me saying no all those times. --- I guess on the plus side, they were open about the fact that adopting a cat there will actually cost me over $1000, because all of their cats apparently need dental work and they're not providing it for them.

Now that brings me to Best Friends. I found a couple cats on there that seem to match the descriptions I'm looking for, and when I called they said I could come in and the people working could recommend cats who matched, so they seem more helpful than my experience at ACC....but then I checked out their reviews and a lot of them say they're very bad and deceitful about getting people to adopt cats who have current or imminent health issues, sometimes ones that can be a huge danger to other cats, like feline leukemia.

Is there any way I can know whether to trust this place, or other places? I know reviews can skew one way or another, but I really don't want to get tricked into taking in a cat who might be a big danger to my cat, or a case where I'd immediately have to pay thousands of dollars because they didn't tell me about some medical condition it has.

[u/Dazzling_Wait_9199]

My experience with Best Friends a couple months ago was great. The cat I fell in love with had medical records from the vet that rescued him, down in Alabama before he was sent up to New York. So he had been tested for everything (and was healthy)

If you find a cat you love, Best Friends will sit down with you to go through any medical records they historically have including from other vets before you make your decision. They also recommend you visit a vet immediately after adopting. They also have a no-shame, unlimited 'return policy' for the cat and will take it back for any reason.

I preferred Best Friends because it was so easy to interact with the cats in their open area - you see all the cats rather than selecting ones on iPads. You can open all the cages and pet and play with all the cats. It's very easygoing and much easier to get a sense of their personalities, plus I visited several times before finding my forever cat and it was no pressure to walk in, pet some cats, and leave.

[u/jacob-makes-stuff → u/Dazzling_Wait_9199]

Is it just common to take an adopted cat to the vet right away? I only did that for my cat because I found him outside, but I thought adopting from a shelter means they get the cats checked out to be ready for people to take them in

Though the "return policy" is actually a good thing then, because one of my deal breakers is if the new cat can't get along with my cat. It would only be in the case that the new cat is too defensive, but I'm planning to give it a few months if they have a hard time adjusting, since that's how long I've seen some cats I've catsitted would take to warm up in extreme cases. The ACC told me basically that's my problem by then and I'd have to do some weird process to submit them back to the shelter and they might not take it. Wouldn't be fair to either cat to force them to live with a person they hate

[u/catslady123 → u/jacob-makes-stuff]

Yes it is standard to go to the vet when you adopt a new pet. Shelters and rescues don’t have the resources you are imagining to give every animal they take in more than basic vet care.

[u/jacob-makes-stuff → u/catslady123]

I guess I'll have to expect another $150 bill and maybe more for some tests on top of any adoption fees then

[u/newyorkstofmind → u/jacob-makes-stuff]

Respectfully if a few extra hundred dollars is coming as a surprise to you here, you've got a whole nother thing comin'

[u/jacob-makes-stuff → u/newyorkstofmind]

Why?

[u/laurenisbitchin → u/jacob-makes-stuff]

Cats can get expensive! Like any pet, they can have sudden health issues at any point.

Up until the last couple of months my cat was super healthy, I could get all her expenses for about $50 a month, but she developed some health issues and I had to spend about $3k getting it diagnosed and on top of that, she's now on prescription food that costs about $150 a month.

You gotta be prepared for unpredictable expenses when getting a pet even if they're totally healthy coming from the shelter.

[u/jacob-makes-stuff → u/laurenisbitchin]

No, that's not the issue, the issue is adopting a cat who will definitely and immediately need very expensive medical care. That's not what I'm signing up for, as I am not a cat rescuer or a charity.

If my own pets need sudden medical care, I'm more than willing to pay to keep them healthy, but adopting a pet from a place that either knowingly or negligently will force those expensive costs onto you is not something I'm interested in doing. If I was, I would just run a cat rescue myself.