Kittens get adopted first. Every time. Walk into any shelter during Adopt a Senior Pet Month and the cats furthest from the door, older, quieter, already grown into who they are, are the ones still waiting weeks or months later. Most of them didn’t do anything to end up there. An owner passed away. A family could no longer afford care. A move to assisted living meant pets weren’t allowed to come along.

If you’re thinking about adding a cat to your home this month, here’s the case for skipping the kitten aisle.

Why Senior Cats Get Left Behind

Shelters see the same pattern every year: kittens and young cats get adopted within days, while cats over seven end up staying for months. It’s rarely about temperament or health. It’s about first impressions. A kitten is a blank slate. A senior cat already has a personality, and that can read as “unknown” to someone browsing quickly.

In practice, that’s backward. A senior cat isn’t a mystery. What you see is what you get.

Senior cat gazing at the camera in a shelter setting

10 Reasons to Adopt a Senior Cat

  • 1
    The size and personality you see is the size and personality you keep. No guessing how big they’ll get or what kind of temperament they’ll grow into.
  • 2
    Already litter-trained. Fewer accidents, less retraining, no guesswork on habits.
  • 3
    Usually already spayed or neutered. No surprise litters, no separate vet visit to schedule.
  • 4
    Calmer by nature. Senior cats sleep more and settle faster into a household routine than kittens do.
  • 5
    Past the chewing phase. Furniture, cords, and shoelaces are generally safe.
  • 6
    Lower-maintenance self-grooming habits established. They’ve had years to develop routines, even if those routines change as they age (more on that below).
  • 7
    Fewer digestive issues than a growing kitten, whose system is still adjusting to solid food.
  • 8
    Gentler around kids. Less prone to the rough biting and scratching that comes with kitten play.
  • 9
    A natural mentor for a younger cat, if you already have one or are planning to adopt one later.
  • 10
    A second chance, twice over. Adopting a senior cat frees up shelter space for another animal, and gives a cat who likely lost its home through no fault of its own somewhere to land.
Senior man holding and cuddling a calico cat

Grooming Gets Harder for Cats as They Age

One thing that changes as cats get older: they groom themselves less. Stiffer joints and arthritis make it harder to reach certain spots, and thinner, more sensitive skin means the grooming they do manage can be less thorough. That’s when mats start showing up in places a younger cat would have handled on their own.

This is where a gentler grooming tool matters more, not less. The EquiGroomer for cats uses fine, rounded teeth that lift loose and dead hair without catching or pulling on skin that’s more delicate than it used to be. For a senior cat that can’t fully groom itself anymore, a few minutes with the right tool once or twice a week can prevent the matting and discomfort that come with letting it go.

If you’re bringing home an older cat this month, or helping one you already have stay comfortable through their senior years, that’s exactly what the EquiGroomer is built for.

Related: Adopting a Shelter Dog

Source: ASPCA — Open Your Heart to a Senior Pet