cat adoption
- lifestyle
26 Pet Charities to Donate to This Giving Tuesday
A way to pay it forward to our furry friends.
![A woman wearing a cat cartoon face mask and a pink sweatshirt holding a white kitten with spots that is looking directly at the camera]()
- lifestyle
Should You Give a Pet as a Gift? It Depends
Puppies and kittens are cute, but read this expert advice before attaching a bow to their collars and handing them to a pal.
![Couple laying on the floor with their kitten during Christmas]()
- lifestyle
“Kitten Lady” Hannah Shaw and Royal Canin Want Your Local Animal Shelter to Win $1,000
The rescue advocate and pet nutrition brand are partnering with Greater Good Charities for a contest that will reward 20 shelters across the U.S. $1,000 grants.
![hannah shaw royal canin shelter project]()
![woman holding beautiful cat]()
- lifestyle
Why You Should Adopt a “Less Adoptable” Cat
Here’s why bonded kitties, senior cats, and felines with FIV make just as amazing pets as any other.
![two bonded kittens snuggling]()
![Black and white cat in a shelter]()
- shopping
Mau Designs Fierce Furniture For Cats Who Are Wild at Heart
Sustainable home decor for “tree cats,” “bush cats” and every little lion in between.
![Gray and white cat sitting in a cat tree inside a sunny bedroom filled with houseplants]()
- health
Yes, You Should Spay/Neuter Your Cat. Here’s Why
A veterinarian breaks down how it keeps your pet healthy and curbs kitten overpopulation.
![Two women, one with dark curly hair and deep skin and one with pink-blonde hair and lighter skin petting their grey cat]()
- lifestyle
7 Myths About Rescue Animals, Debunked
For starters: no, they’re not all traumatized and yes, you can find purebred puppy.
![Girl sitting on couch hugging her playful dog with the window open to outside]()
- lifestyle
Should You Take an Adoptable Pet For a Test Drive?
Some animal rescues allow trial runs for interested adopters. Get the scoop on how foster-to-adopt programs work.
![Man wearing pink headphones playing with dog on sofa with plants and a painting in the background]()
- lifestyle
10 Things to Consider Before Adopting a Pet
It’s a big decision, so check these boxes before you sign on the dotted line.
![A woman staring at her computer while holding her dog close.]()
![A woman with tattoos hugging her white cat in a cluttered, art-filled room]()
- lifestyle
Meet This Colony of Accidentally Insta-Famous Cats
How one cat colony inspired their hundreds of thousands of social media followers to care about cat rescue — and became superstars in the process.
![A cat peeking down from a tree.]()
- lifestyle
How to Help the Animals Affected by Hurricane Idalia
Rescue organizations are in need of donations and adoptions after the storm.
![Wings of Rescue transporting kitten in crate in response to Hurricane Idalia in Florida.
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- lifestyle
What to Expect in the First 48 Hours With Your New Cat
Here’s how to help your rescue kitty feel at home.
![Woman using a laptop in bed, looking at her cat]()
- lifestyle
How to Teach Your Kitty-Obsessed Kid How to Pet a Cat
Boundaries are the name of the game with this one.
![Cute little girl playing with her pet kitten at home.]()
- lifestyle
25 Barbiecore Names For Your New Pet
Here are the pinkest, sparkliest, wittiest Barbie movie-inspired names for your dog or cat.
![the cast of Barbie with a small white cat and white Pit Bull dog]()
- lifestyle
Black Cats: Good Luck Charms or Bad Omens?
August 17 is Black Cat Appreciation Day. Let’s dispel some silly superstitions that haunt them.
![a woman with black hair, green eyes, and red nails hugs a black cat]()
- lifestyle
How You Can Test the Waters of Pet Parenthood
How five aspiring pet parents are getting their feet wet by moonlighting as shelter volunteers and dog walkers.
![Woman running with her cute spotted beagle while enjoying good weather and playing together in the city.]()
- lifestyle
How You Can Help the Animals of Maui During These Deadly Wildfires
For starters, you can donate to Maui Humane Society as they help pets on the ground.
![Shelter dog on beach in Maui during wild fires.]()
- shopping
I Tested My Cat’s DNA, and Here Are the Results
From health predispositions to breed history, Wisdom Panel’s genetic testing revealed my cat’s internal world.
![Cat with ginger medium length hair and green eyes]()
- lifestyle
Calling All LA Cat Lovers
If you can adopt, foster, or donate, Stray Cat Alliance needs your help to care for a “tsunami of kittens.”
![Woman and her two cats from Stray Cat Alliance, LA.]()
![Woman holding dogs at an animal shelter]()
![Cat hissing at a person attempting to pet its cheek]()
- lifestyle
7 Ways Student Loan Debt Relief Could Have Benefitted Pets
The Biden administration’s plan has been blocked by SCOTUS. Here’s how pets’ lives could have been better if their parents had extra cash.
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- lifestyle
How to Help the Rescue Pets Who Seem to Be Stuck at Shelters Forever
And why the problem of long-term rescue and foster animals persists.
![Couple hug their Pit Bull dog outside on the beach.]()
- lifestyle
Jazz Jennings and Her Band of Cats Are the Definition of Trans Joy
The activist and artist grew up in the spotlight but stays grounded with the help of her fam — both human and feline.
![Jazz Jennings illustration by Petra Eriksson]()
- lifestyle
Cat Allergies: Do Hypoallergenic Cats Exist?
If the sniffles are getting you down, don’t stress: You have options.
- lifestyle
Building a Queer Family One Pet at a Time
My life looks nothing like I imagined growing up — but it’s perfectly complete.
![two dogs cuddling surrounded by a bright orange background with pink stars]()
- lifestyle
How Sassee Walker Is Single-Handedly Saving Brooklyn’s Neediest Cats
“I have the tools to make these cats’ lives better and I use them. I have to.”
![Latonya “Sassee” Walker feeding a cat on the sidewalk]()
- lifestyle
The Brooklyn Cat Cafe Is Like Something Out of a Hollywood Rom-Com
NYC’s only nonprofit cat cafe is almost too good to be real. Catch their Feline Film Festival this Saturday, June 10.
![Two small black kittens at the Brooklyn Cat Cafe in Brooklyn, NY.]()
- lifestyle
A Step-by-Step Guide to Adopting a Cat
From where to begin looking to what the adoption process entails to how to prepare your home for your new pet.
![Blonde woman with hand tattoo kissing her gray kitten]()
- lifestyle
10 Questions to Ask a Shelter About an Adoptable Cat
From medical history to adoption fees to litter preferences, here is everything you need to know.
![A hand reaching towards a cat peaking out of a cage.]()
- lifestyle
Should I Adopt a Bonded Pair?
Some besties are inseparable, and that’s not always a bad thing.
![Curly afro woman stroking her bonded cats on the couch in living room]()
- lifestyle
How 5 Pet Parents’ Lives Had a Glow-Up After They Got Their Pets
Turns out finding community isn’t so hard when you’ve got a cute pal to help get you out of the house.
![two girls bonding over a cute fluffy dog]()
- lifestyle
A New Flatbush Cats Clinic Is Bringing Affordable Care to Brooklyn
Brooklyn pets and parents can expect their new neighbor to arrive this summer.
![a small kitten outside beside a shopping cart]()
- lifestyle
How DIY Animal Rescuers Tell The Exhausting, Rewarding Stories of Their Work
In volunteers’ Instagram videos, you’ll see both the joy and the fatigue behind finding these deserving pets homes.
![Group of young people pet a brown dog with a jacket on outside.]()
- lifestyle
Loneliness Is a Public Health Crisis. Pets Can Help
Per the US Surgeon General, loneliness is as dangerous for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Here are ways pets can solve that.
![two people bonding and smiling over a dog]()
- lifestyle
The Newly Proposed “Bowie’s Amendment” Needs Your Support
This potential legislation could save the lives of countless shelter dogs. Here’s how you can help.
![Bowie's Law]()
- lifestyle
Shelter Pets Deserve Amazon Pet Deals, Too
Seriously, you can donate to shelters just by shopping!
![shelter kittens playing with a round blue plastic toy with balls]()
- lifestyle
Where Have All the Fosters Gone?
This is the Paula Cole parody that rescue orgs are singing as they struggle to find people to foster pets.
![a person with short blonde hair and glasses hugs three rescue puppies and kisses one on the head]()
- lifestyle
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Cuteness
How a rescue cat named Pedro Pspspscal went viral and found a new home.
![Photoshopped crop of a cat edited on top of actor Pedro Pascal’s body, next to actor Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us”]()
- lifestyle
Heads Up: It’s Officially “Kitten Season”
Hannah Shaw, a.k.a. Kitten Lady, on how you can help with the springtime arrival of orphaned kittens.
![A hand holding a kitten with a cat tattooed at the hand.]()
- lifestyle
6 Ways to Help Local Shelters Without Committing to Full-Time Pet Parenthood
Adoption isn’t for everyone — here are other ways you can be there for animals in need.
![anonymous woman pampering and taking care about a small ginger kitten]()
- shopping
The Best Catnip Toys and Treats That’ll Have Your Cat Riding High
Let the purring, drooling, and chasing invisible butterflies commence.
![Small gray tabby kitten playing with a toy]()
- lifestyle
Lil Nas X Is a Cat Daddy Now, and Nothing Else Matters
“I’m not their stepfather, I’m the father who stepped up.”
![Man holding two cats with clothes on.]()
- lifestyle
How to Put Your “Crappy” Ex in Their Place This Valentine’s Day
In exchange for a $5 donation, this rescue org in Ohio wrote people’s ex’s names in a litter box.
![Two small brown kittens next to plastic litter box.]()
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- lifestyle
Rainey Qualley Is a Triple Threat: Actor, Musician, Kitten Foster Mom
Talent (and an obsession with cats) runs in the family.
![The Wildest's January Cover Star, Rainey Qualley, wearing a bright orange fluffy jacket while holding her white and black cat and standing in a closet full of purses and coats]()
- lifestyle
How 6 Rescues Find Joy During the Tough Holiday Season
The holiday season is not so jolly for a lot of pet rescues. Here’s how they help their animals — and their volunteers and staff members — this time of year.
![Two women and a man in glasses sitting in front of a decorated and brightly lit Christmas tree while the central woman holds a Shiba Inu dog looking directing at the viewer]()
- lifestyle
The 10 Most Popular Pet Names of 2022
2022’s pop culture trends not-so-subtly influenced our new adoptees’ monikers.
![pet names 2022]()
- lifestyle
10 Foster-Fail Stories That Will Tempt You to Do the Same
Adopting a foster pet doesn’t isn’t always the right choice. But for these families, it turned out to be the only one.
![A brunette woman holding a spotted gray kitten up to her face while its front paws rest on her chin]()
- lifestyle
Emma Allen’s Cat Is Laughing at You
The New Yorker cartoon editor’s assistant is a massive, blood-thirsty, perfect furball.
![Emma Allen wearing glasses and blue jacket standing in front of her desk with full bookshelves above it]()
- lifestyle
Foster Parenting 101: How to Be the Best Caregiver to Your Guest Pets
All the steps you can take.
![Man with beard and wearing glasses and a grey hat sitting outside petting the head of his old foster dog]()
- lifestyle
California Is the First State to Ban Testing of Chemicals on Cats and Dogs
The U.S. has a long way to go when it comes to ending what Gov. Gavin Newsom calls “cruel and unnecessary testing.”
![Beagles playfully running free after being rescued from an animal testing facility.]()
- lifestyle
We Are Now Living in the Age of Drone Animal Rescue
ASSERT co-founder Ryan Okrant tells The Wildest about his work — from tornadoes in Kentucky to war in Ukraine.
![Douglas Thron, in his rescue pilot uniform hugging a rescued black cat to his chest outside]()
- lifestyle
Mission Meow Has a Clever (Cat-Like) Approach to Fundraising
Because rescue kitties deserve your crowdfunding cash, too.
![Blonde woman wearing a dark blue blouse and white pants sitting in the grass outside petting a cat]()
- lifestyle
Forget Goat Yoga. Jessamyn Stanley Practices With Her Pets
Turn those barks and meows into namastes.
![African American woman with floral arm tattoos and short curly hair laughing with joy while holding her small Chihuahua dog outside]()
- lifestyle
Animal Shelters Are Filling Up Once Again
Adopting a pet in the pandemic was a competition. Now, shelters need all the adopters they can get.
![A sad looking dog in a shelter.]()
![A tan dog sleeping on the couch while a short haired woman rests on her arms on the edge of the couch looking at the dog sadly]()
- behavior
One Is the Loneliest Number: What to Know About Single Kitten Syndrome
Why adopting two kittens may be easier (and better for them) than adopting one.
![Woman in a grey t-shirt and black overalls holding a sad looking ginger kitten]()
- lifestyle
How Fashion Historian Laura Helms Earned Her Nickname “Laurakitty”
The sartorial curator named her pet clothing line after one of her cats, Marshmallow, but their inspiration on her career hardly stops there...
![A woman sitting on a couch with her cat.]()
- lifestyle
How to Prepare for an Adoption Home Visit
7 tips for acing your inspection and bringing your new pup home.
![A woman with dark curly hair lifting a box with a plant in a pot balanced on top to another area in the home]()
- lifestyle
7 Steps to Keep Your New Kitten Happy and Healthy
With great cuteness comes great responsibility. A vet breaks down everything you need to know when you bring home a new kitten.
![Kitten sitting on a blanket]()
- lifestyle
How a Grumpy Old Cat Is Winning the Internet for a Good Cause
Angela Rafuse on how her grandfather’s cat inspired her to start a nonprofit and find new homes for the cats of terminally ill pet parents.
![Angela Rafuse smiling while holding her rescue cat near a tree outside]()
- lifestyle
Tennis Star Denis Shapovalov Started an Animal Rescue
“With ShapoShelter, we’re going to highlight the stories of these poor animals that can’t tell their own stories in the hopes of finding them new homes.”
![shapo shelter]()
- lifestyle
For Abdul Hawramani, Playing with Kittens Is All in a Day’s Work
The Insta-famous cat dad on fostering 40 kittens, changing stereotypes, and everything you need to know about adopting.
![A man sitting at a table with his laptop and cat.]()
![Queer Eye dogs]()
- lifestyle
“Kitten Lady” Hannah Shaw Is Fostering a Movement
The lion-hearted animal advocate on rescuing her first kitten in a tree, designing an orphaned animal nursery, and becoming an Instagram sensation.
![The Wildest's cover star Hannah Shaw smiling at the camera behind a cat tower with two kittens sitting on top of it]()
![A kitten laying on a persons lap with their paws in the air.]()
- lifestyle
Get the Inside Scoop on Adoption Applications
Ready to take the plunge? Here’s everything you need to know about applying to adopt a pet.
![Young woman in online call sitting on couch in her living room on laptop]()
- lifestyle
Why Do I Have to Pay an Adoption Fee?
If you’re helping out a homeless pet, shouldn’t that be worth a freebie? The reality is, it costs a lot of money to care for shelter animals and to keep a shelter clean and safe.
- lifestyle
How to Claim Your Foster Pet on Your Taxes
That’s right, you can write off all those puppy toys (and pee pads).
![A man sitting on the floor with his arm around a dog while working on his laptop.]()
- lifestyle
A Cat Lover’s Guide to NYC
A cat-friendly guide to cafés, spas, shops, and hotels that’d make anyone purr.
![Gray cat walking through an antique shop]()
- lifestyle
Sterling “TrapKing” Davis is Going Global
The rapper-turned-trapper quit his music career to start a cat rescue, has saved the lives of thousands of strays, and is promoting diversity in the animal welfare world. This spring, he’s taking things international.
![Sterling "Trapking" feeding a treat to an orange rescue cat]()
- lifestyle
How Insta-famous Cat, Smush, Uses Social Media for Good
A loud-mouthed, bread-stealing feline with a cleft lip is saving cats around the world.
![Collage of Smush and Shannon on a purple, blue gradient background with white outlines]()
- lifestyle
Kat Dennings On Her Pet Doppelgänger, Millie, Cat TV & the Cat Lady on “Dollface”
“We’re supposed to be quote-unquote scared of becoming a cat lady, but really what does that even mean? Being a strong independent person who loves cats? That sounds awesome.”
![kat dennings and her cat millie]()
- lifestyle
Pet Sounds: Music is Dropping for Dogs and Cats
Veterinarians and music industry vets are teaming up to curate therapeutic pet playlists.
![Dog listening to music on headphones and licking nose]()
