I think you've spent enough time with her that you know and understand her personality very well. It sounds as though she is very unhappy in the shelter......for good reason......and I think you'd be an angel to give her a chance.

Since your cats have experienced fosters coming into the home, and apparently it hasn't caused them grief, her joining the group shouldn't be too much trauma for them.
The main question is: if your household become disruptive from her joining it, are you prepared to handle it? It may be best to ask the shelter to let you foster her first, with the intention to adopt.
If you think there's any chance the shelter may decide to send her elsewhere, you should them know what you're considering.

I asked about fostering her first and they told me they don't do that. that I would have to adopt her but would have two weeks to bring her back (and get my money back or exchange her for another cat which is their return policy) and also they have a lifetime return policy on all their cats (you don't get your money back but they will take the cat back) I'm not worried about the money, just worried that if she didn't work out in my home I'd have to be the evil person that brings her back to the place she hates.

Evil? How could anyone ever get that impression? Just be sure that if you returned her out of necessity that she wouldn't be considered a 'new' cat and perhaps euthanised due to space restraints.

No, it would not be a failure to have to return her, and if you aren't worried about loosing the fee then you have an opportunity to give her more than a two week trial, as it may take that for her to get settled in. Your first obligation are to your home cats. If the new cat absolutely makes their life hell on earth it's not fair to them.

BTW, I have had a cat like that. Everything was on her terms, too and she kept her distance and was a spitfire if you tried to impose your presence on her when she didn't want it. But, she was a wonderful cat all the same, and I loved her very much. She was not problem to the other cats, and even got on well with them when she decided to be social. She had one 'accidental' kitten before I got her spayed and she raised her kitten to have the same personality. She was a feral kitten when I brought her into the household and had brachial palsy. Her dame was a wild, country feral and a survivor, who moved the healthy kittens in her litter and left the injured one, but would return to nurse her. Such loyalty. She lived a good life here, as did her kitten until their deaths from cancer/and her kitten from FIP, complicated by feleuk........no doubt from their feral past.

Oh my you are SO kindhearted. Whish there were more like you. I have a better suggestion for both this cat and yours. Try to find a senior that would love a companion but may not be able to afford one. Offer to pay the adoption fee and help with any vet bills or maybe stok them up on cat food and litter. You would be spending the same ammount either way.Of course you would take the cat if it didnt work. Your vet may know of a senior that has lost a pet recently and is low income or you could contact the director of a senior center, meals on wheeels or any of those type places. God Bless you for caring so much!

We took in a cat like this approx. 10 years ago. She was 3 at the time, had been abused by the boyfriend of the woman who turned her into the shelter, and was incredibly difficult. Her former owner fed her the cheapest food she could find, so she had nutritional issues. Because of the abuse, she hated men and it took almost a year before she would let my husband pet her without going into attack mode. She'd been at several foster homes and they all gave up on her after only a few weeks. After we had her for a short time, we noticed she would cough and wheeze, so I took her to the vet. Turned out she had asthma. She had to get steroid shots and, as a result, developed diabetes. She's had a lot of health problems, but she is doing very, very well, a lap sitter, very communicative and very affectionate. She's like a different cat from the scared, unhappy creature we took in. So if you you have the patience and are willing to give her a chance, you might wind up with a wonderful new addition to your family.

I think you should give her a try! It really doesn't sound like she's adoptable. With 160 cats to pick from the chances of someone taking home the one that attacks is slim.

With her personality, I might leave her in the quarantine room a little longer than you normally would. You might have a greater chance of bonding with her that way. It's anybody's guess whether she'll accept your other cats or not. That takes time. It doesn't sound like she'll be playing with them but she might be comfortable ignoring them :). If you find she's miserable with them but gets along with you, there is always the option of you placing her directly into a home that will work for her.

I think that it's great you are giving her a chance! Good luck :)

It sounds like you both have begun to bond to each other and so kind of you to consider adopting her. She probably has more mistrust than trust and thus is always on defense which may take a very long time to trust. I would not suggest an elder person to take her in if she will scratch. Older people have a more fragile immune system and could be very serious for them. If she trusts you enough to sit on your lap, I think she will do well in your home given time, patience and love. DD adopted a cat that had been placed 3 times and returned. She has a peeing problem and hides from everyone except her. She's been beside herself and was seriosuly considering returning her but was sure it would be a death sentence. Eventually with much effort, she will approach her to be petted a little, and seems happy as long as she doesn't have to be touched by anyone else. She has the carpet wetting under good control and seems happier using the Femway (spell) in the room to ease her tension. Good luck to both of you.

Thanks for the advice, I'm still thinking things through. I keep hoping someone will adopt her so I don't have to make the decision. I would hate for it not to work out and have to return her if I adopted her. My current cats are my first priority and if she made life hell for them then I couldn't keep her. The idea of paying her fees and giving her to an elderly person who couldn't afford a cat is a nice idea but my fear is if they didn't have extra money for the adoption fee how would they take care of her if she had medical problems? Also she is only 3 years old so she could live a very long time and that is a big commitment. If someone suddenly develops health problems and can't take of either themselves or the animal becomes a burden, the cat is the first to go.

And I guess I shouldn't have used the word "attack". I just consider it an attack when she suddenly swats or nips at you because 99% of the cats there are not that aggressive so I was unprepared the first time it happened to me. But I have noticed that she gives you a warning- either she makes a low meow or she sits there with her mouth open and watches your hand get closer. If you insist on continuing closer she will nip you.

I will probably adopt her, I just need to talk to the shelter first.

I'm very surprised this shelter doesn't allow you to foster the cat first, even with a specified time frame. Most shelters are thrilled to move a pet into a foster home, especially if it may lead to an adoption. As most of us know, it's usually the foster that ends up adopting the pet!
IMO, it just says they'd rather have the adoption fees in their pocket than worry if the cat will be happy in the new environment. As much as you've volunteered there, and with the cats history, you'd think they'd bend their rules a little.

I agree that the senior citizen idea was nice, but I worried about the senior citizen. My mother, at 90, loves her cat but she has to be able to handle it when she needs to carry it to the vet, medicate it, or just move it from a piece of furniture. The elderly have to be very careful of scratches and bites due to infection, not to mention how much more delicate their skin is due to age.

I had a cat that was fearful of everything. He was a one person cat, sometimes ok with husband. He was always a "grumpy old man", but was really a very emotional sweet cat. He may blossom under your care, away from the shelter, but then again maybe not, you just won't know. I know my Coco would have been fearful and mistrusting under those circumstances and would have lashed out at everyone and everything. Maybe the poor thing is just miserable and sad. Good luck in your decision. Sounds like a tuff one. I would think the shelter could at least work with you more since that cat has been there so long and is obviously unhappy there. Also, with a fearful cat it will probably take way more than a month to settle in to see if it works out for you and it and your other cats.

Well I didn't take much time to think things through- I stopped at the shelter yesterday just to talk to the manager and see if she thought the cat would be a good fit for my household. I didn't even bring a carrier with me, I wasn't planning on taking her home. Well, they were thrilled I wanted to give her a chance and they just gave her to me (no adoption fee). I took her home and put her in the spare bedroom (had bought her a new litter box so it wouldn't smell of other cats) and put a lot of blankets and towels and some boxes around (she used to like to lay in boxes at the shelter) so she had plenty of places to sleep. She explored her new surroundings and within an hour she was all over me! She kept rubbing against me and purring when I'd pet her. If I'd stop petting her (this was a cat who you could not pet for more than 60 seconds without fear of being swatted or nipped) she'd nudge me with her head demanding more attention. She just purred and purred. I didn't want to stress her out so I'd give her space for a half hour or so and then come check on her.

She even played like a kitten with a cat toy I'd given her.She chased a piece of string and a ball (she is 3 years old). She sat on my lap twice! Shocking! I thought I'd brought the wrong cat home from the shelter by mistake. She still had her moments (she gave me a warning meow once when I tried to pet her while she was exploring the room) so its still on HER terms but I had no idea she could be such an affectionate cat. She showed no fear of my fiance or his son (which is suprising) she even let him pet her. Each time I come into the room she runs up to me and brushes against my legs and purrs. She practically begs for attention. The only thing she did not like was when my other cats stuck their noses under the door trying to see the newcomer. She didn't growl,she just wouldn't go near the door and watched it rather nervously. Since i wasn't totally prepared to have a new cat that same day, I had to do a quick cat proofing of the room. I had a mirror (that is supposed to be attached to the wall) that I had to stick in the closet and she looked under the closet door and saw herself in the mirror and growled at her reflection. That was the only time i heard her growl. After that she would just go peek under the door.

This morning she was very loving and sweet as well. Really happy to see me and sat on my lap once again. I'm not sure how she's going to take to meeting my other cats (she may hate them) but I'm going to leave her in the room for about two weeks (with short trips outside of the room with maybe one cat at a time during the 2nd week) just so she can start to feel comfortable.

Oh, that is so sweet of you to give her a chance and a loving home...

You are an angel and apparently had a deep inner knowing of the cat's nature. Poor thing was probably overwhelmed at the shelter. She may never take to your current cats but maybe you could keep that room as her safe haven. Being the first room she knows in the house might make that a good choice. How beautiful that she warmed up so once she was in a peaceful home. Please keep us posted.

What a beautiful story. You were right about what she needed. Can't wait to hear the rest of the saga!

I'm so glad things are starting out so well! I've been following this thread, even though I'm not a cat person. Like susanjn said, it's a beautiful story.

Please keep us informed on how things go.

What a happy ending! When I first read your post I just had watched the show Pet Psychic. For some reason, your noticing how unhappy this cat was reminded me of the lady on the show and how she picks up on the energy of, and around, animals.
I think you have a gift of understanding animals, and this cat is very lucky you're a volunteer at that shelter!

newhomeseeker, you sound like a lovely person! God bless you for your care for cats, including this one! P.S. What's her name?

I think you've answered the question. And if she was around other cats at the shelter, hopefully she will be OK with your other kitties. What a wonderful, kind thing to do. You never know what or who is going to drop into your life and what lessons they will share. Continued good luck.

Thanks for your kindess and good wishes. The new cat is doing great- she is still very loving and friendly. At the shelter she wouldn't hide but didn't want anyone coming near her (she would sit and glare at you with her piercing green eyes) She just always had a p*ssed off expression on her face. She always appeared to be miserable like she hated life. While she is probably bored left alone in my spare room while everyone is at work, she perks up when I get home. Last night I had to sit in one spot for almost 2 hours because she curled up on my lap (after loving all over me and purring) and fell asleep and i didn't want to disturb her. She really is an undercover sweetheart. I am so thankful I was drawn to her (for whatever strange reason) because her behavior at the shelter would probably have prohibited her from being adopted and someone finding out what a sweet cat she really is.

Now I'm just hoping that she is eventually ok with my other cats. thanks again for your support!

Sounds like you have a friend for life. Hopefully because you have a larger home she will feel ok with other cats around and can have her own space. She might just avoid the others. I had a cat for two years and ended up with another cat who was about 3-4 years old, longish story..My original cat mostly tolerates the "new" one and it's been 3 years since then. Sometimes they actually sleep within 2 feet of each other, but never cuddle. I still catch them fighting every now and then, no one hurt yet, but it really bothers me.

Bless your heart for taking in this poor sad cat.

I've been checking in daily to see how things are going with her. Did I miss it...what did you name her? It's wonderful she is doing so well. I'm glad you went with your instincts on this one. Gook luck.

The name they gave her at the shelter is Story. I know cats don't care what they are called but I don't plan on changing it. I had enough trouble naming my own foster cats (Pumpkin, Tinkerbell, Toby, Buddy, Molly, Grayson, Simba and Lucky). I told some of the other volunteers at the shelter how the new cat is doing and they were shocked that she was adjusting so well. They, as I, figured she would just hide and ignore me or something.

Keep us posted on how it goes.

I have never renamed a cat who already had one. Seems disrespectful to the cat (well, unless his name was Stupid or something already disrespectful). My cats do have lots of nicknames.

By the way, we love pictures!