Cat adoption in Moldova: how to adopt a cat or a kitten

Adopting a cat is simple, but it's worth not rushing: cats live 15 years and more. Here are the steps, from choosing to the first vaccination.

Where to find a cat for adoption

• Listings from owners. In the cats for adoption catalogue owners publish cats straight from their electronic passport: photos, age, personality, neutering and vaccinations. You write to the owner directly, free and with no middlemen. Filter by city, age and sex.
• Volunteers and shelters. Cats from volunteers are usually already vaccinated, dewormed and neutered.

Kitten or adult cat?

A kitten is playful but needs attention, litter training and the full course of vaccinations. Don't take it from its mother earlier than 10–12 weeks: until then it learns from her to use the litter box and to play without scratching.

An adult cat's personality is already formed: you know from the start whether she is calm, likes children or gets on with other animals. For a flat and for people who work all day, a calm adult cat is often the better choice.

What to ask the owner

• How old she is and how her health is.
• Which vaccinations and parasite treatments she has had.
• Whether she is neutered.
• What she eats, which litter she uses, what habits she has.
• How she behaves with children and other animals.

What to prepare at home

• A litter box and the same litter she is used to.
• Bowls and the food she eats now.
• A scratching post, a bed and a few toys.
• A carrier.
• Nets on windows and the balcony. Falls from height are the most common injury in city cats, and a tilted window is as dangerous as an open one.

The first days at home

Keep the cat in one quiet room at first, with the litter box, water and food. Don't pull her out from under the bed: she will come out on her own when she feels safe, usually within a few days. If you want to change the food, do it gradually over 7–10 days. Full adjustment takes from a few days to a few weeks.

Vaccinations, parasites and neutering

Take the cat to a vet in the first week, even if she looks healthy. Usually she needs:

• the core vaccine (panleukopenia, calicivirus, rhinotracheitis): kittens from 8–9 weeks, a booster 3–4 weeks later, then yearly;
• the rabies vaccine from 12 weeks;
• regular treatments against worms and fleas;
• neutering, usually from 5–6 months, if it hasn't been done.

The vet sets the exact dates. A rough schedule is in the vaccination calculator, and in micamic you can record every vaccination and treatment for free: the reminder comes on its own when it's due.

If you are looking for a home for a cat

Add the cat to micamic and publish the listing from its page. Photos, age and personality are already in the passport, the phone number is protected from spam, and the listing appears right away in the cats catalogue. General tips are in the guide how to adopt a dog or cat in Moldova.