Did you know that on average, there are approximately 30 to 40 million stray cats in the United States? I think it’s time that changes. That’s right, I’m going to be talking about stray cats, and why it’s better to actively adopt than to just let the universe gift you a cat.

So, as you all must know, you’ll be saving a life, possibly more than one. while adopting a cat will help the feline not be put down when it isn’t adopted in time, you’ll also be saving your own life since cats can also improve your health, both mental and physical. According to Whiskers To Tails (5 Reasons You Should Adopt A Cat) or Jackie Brown,  “cats help with anxiety and lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

A shelter cat’s personality is known. According to Exe Valley (Thinking About Getting A Kitten? Here’s Why You Should Adopt!), “cats in many shelters interact with their caretakers and volunteers every day, and these people really get to know their personalities, so they aren’t going to be some mystery all the time.” This means that you’ll know the cat’s exact personality when you get it, so you won’t have to worry about having to walk on eggshells whenever you interact with your kitty. You’ll know if it’s aggressive, gentle, or hyper, so you can properly prepare for the feline friend.

All of the cats that I have, I and my family found. If we hadn’t found them, they would have died of a heat stroke (my oldest cat), been neglected (my second oldest cat), died of starvation (third oldest cat), or just been mauled to death by my cousin’s dog (youngest cat). It would have been so much better if we had adopted them, because they wouldn’t have been so close to death. We could have actively attempted to save them from their possible fates. We have actually spayed and neutered all of our rescue cats, but many people don’t. Adoption is important because shelters can make sure there aren’t too many cats. Shelters are required to spay and neuter all of their animals. It prevents the overpopulation of the neighborhood, or just letting more cats become strays. More kittens means you won’t be able to keep track of them as easily, and they could get out. According to A Simple Way to Help Cats: Add Years To Your Cat’s Life With Spay/Neuter, ”Spaying and neutering your cat could even let it live longer, because when you neuter male cats, it can eradicate the risk for testicular cancer, and it can decrease the will to roam in altered cats.” This means that they won’t want to leave the house as much, so you won’t have to worry about the cat leaving the house and possibly getting injured.

So, in conclusion, you should adopt a cat instead of just letting the universe give you a cat when it chooses to. You would be saving a life (maybe even more than one) by saving one more cat from getting euthanized, their personality would already be known so they wouldn’t be as much as a cute little mystery, and you could actively be saving a cat from possibly dying from natural causes like starvation, neglect, a heat stroke, or just being killed by another, larger animal. You could be saving them from a possible fate, instead of leaving it up to fate to decide if you should have a cat. If you want to take action, visit your local animal shelter or the Street Cat Club for more information.