We got the bad news late last night.
“We regret to inform you that your adoption application was denied.”
I was grateful the boys were sleeping; I didn’t have the heart to tell Ian yet. After all, he was the one that initiated the process by telling us how badly he wanted us to adopt little Callie in the first place. One look at her and we all fell in love. Sure, there were others, but we knew that Callie would complete our family like no other.
I thought back to the pages of paperwork I had meticulously filled out, answering every question to my best ability, agreeing to every term – including a full home inspection. Where had I gone wrong? What had I missed?
Oh! If only I could turn back the clock!
If only there was another way!
If only I had considered the exact location of the litter box more carefully!
Oh, I’m sorry. Are you confused?
Did you think that I was talking about a child adoption?
My mistake.
Because, you see, Callie is a kitten and in order to be considered worthy enough to adopt her, I had to fill out an application approximately 2.5 inches thick. An application filled with questions such as:
“Do you like cats?”
“Do you like cats a lot?”
“Do you like cats so much it’s kind of creepy?”
“If Cat A left the litterbox at approximately 10:02 and Cat B entered the litterbox at approximately 10:03 and was constipated, would you get mad if Cat C crapped in the bathtub?”
“How many cats does it take to officially turn someone into a total loser incapable of having any human friends?”
The last question was my favorite though:
“What makes you the prefect person to adopt this cat?”
Hmmm. Let’s see. I’ll give it food and shelter. Also, I won’t turn it into Chinese food.
Now that I think about it, maybe that last part was a bit too much and though I can’t be sure, there’s a slight chance it may have influenced the foster family’s decision.
But seriously.
We were DENIED A CAT.
“Hi Joanna,
Unfortunately you do not meet our criteria for adoption.Not all groups have the same criteria so I’m sure you will find a kitty. Thank you for thinking rescue.”– Mary Kay
It’s a new low for the Ashline Family.
REALLY?! A *KITTEN*?! I understand that these rescue places want to make sure that their kittens go to good homes, but seriously… that’s a little persnickety of them… When I was adopting, I went to a bunch of different groups, and it did drive me insane, the amount of paperwork some groups wanted you to fill out in order to give a cat a home. Seriously?! They’d rather keep the cat in a temporary place, perhaps leave an animal in a shelter or worse, to keep their adoption exclusive. It makes me sad. But I hope you can find a loving kitten for your family! 🙂
E – We have a cat, Lola, that we love very much, but she could use a friend. We’ve adopted in the past and never had to go to such extensive lengths to try and get a friggin cat! I know we’ll find a kitten eventually but in the meantime, some of these foster families need to LIGHTEN UP. hahah!
Hey Jo – Clearly they are missing out in a wonderful home. Try the Irvine Animal Shelter (Sand Canyon off the I5). We adopted a dog from there a few yrs ago and I was very impressed. They have lots of cats and kittens too. Good luck!! 🙂
Hi Jo – maybe ask friends and family if they know of anyone who has kittens they want to give away. We were recently denied a Petco adoption because we made the mistake of saying we would allow the cat to be indoor/outdoor during the day. As our other cat was for 15 years, and as our 6 month old cat is now. Apparantly that’s a buzz word and will get you an automatic denial. Good luck!
It’s important to me that she called you Joanna. If I’d been in her position, I would’ve as well.