Bandit

My story

Bandit is a very friendly, outgoing cat who gets along great with people. He loves humans, but just can't seem to get along with other cats and is looking for an indoor home where he will be the only cat. He loves to sit in your lap and be petted. Bandit's estimated date of birth is 8/11/16 and he weighs approximately 13 pounds. He was rescued from living as a friendly stray and must have had a home at some time. Bandit has been neutered, vaccinated and dewormed. He is listed as special needs because he tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), also known as Feline AIDS. FIV+ cats can and do live quite normal lives - in quality - in duration - and in happiness. FIV+ cats might be considered by some to be 'special needs' cats because, while they are healthy and live quite normal lives, they have tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). We now know that FIV is basically a virus whose presence has the potential to cause some weakening of a cats' immune system. It does not seem to have much impact on lifespan. We now know that this is a cat-only virus and cannot be passed to humans or to other species of animals. We have also learned that FIV does not pass to other cats through casual friendly contact. Experience, studies and the medical research community have, for numerous years now, watched positive cats live peacefully together with non-positive cats without transference. It takes a seriously deep bite wound or blood transfusion from an FIV+ cat to infect another so a typical household where cats live in harmony can blend FIV+ and FIV- cats without worry. However, we do recommend that Bandit be the only cat in the household because he doesn't get along with other cats and because he is FIV+. It is extremely difficult for FIV+ cats to find their forever homes, so please consider opening your home and heart to Bandit. Bandit has so very much to love to give and is very deserving! $25 adoption fee, cash only, which is to help reimburse for a portion of expenses of cat rescue and rehabilitation. Adoption contract required. Location: Quail Valley/Menifee, Southwest Riverside County. We are looking for permanent indoor homes for our cats and adopters who are willing and able to care for this pet for its lifetime (15+ years). If interested, please email us with a little info about you, your family, your lifestyle, your other pets, where you live, etc. and what type of cat you are looking for--an indoor companion, outdoor or? Thank you. Please understand that living in a rescue with multiple other cats is stressful for cats for a number of reasons including the transient nature of a rescue with cats coming and going, dealing and contending with other cats and some cats not being socialized with other cats. This all leads to constant social stress and readjustment for a cat. In addition, cats living in a rescue may not get the socialization with humans and the individual attention that they would receive in their own home. This all affects a cat's behavior and some cats regress or become shy and reserved in a rescue. And sadly, many common house cats, especially black cats, are overlooked and passed over and live and wait in the rescue for extended periods of time. However, if given a chance, these cats blossom in their new homes when given the love and attention they need and deserve. We are looking for adopters who are willing to open their hearts and homes to a rescued cat and are willing to give a rescued cat a chance and accept it for who it is. Going to a new home is scary and traumatic; therefore, we ask the new adopter to be patient and give the cat time to settle in and get comfortable in its new environment and learn to trust you. We never know how long it will take for a cat to acclimate to their new home because all cats are different. Some cats walk in and make themselves right at home. Sometimes it takes 2-3 days or even weeks to settle in. Even though the cat might not have made a good first impression, when acclimated and comfortable in its new home, the cat's personality will come out and you will see the nice cat companion it is. We have the best interest of the cat in mind and our goal is to find a good, permanent home for each of our rescued animals. Therefore, we have the right to decline an application if we feel it is not a good match/fit or suitable home. Our adoption process is to prescreen potential adopters to determine if the home would be a good match/fit, complete an application and set up a time for the meet and greet. We used to show pets at Petsmart and before that at Petco, but since the ongoing pandemic we have been bringing the cats to the prospective new home to do the meet and greet. We have found this works well for a number of reasons, including we deliver the adopted pet to the new home anyway to see where it will be living and the cats show better at a home rather than at noisy and scary Petsmart. We bring the cat's vet records and a little food he is used to eating. If we all agree to proceed with the adoption, we complete an adoption contract, collect the adoption fee and leave the cat with you. All our adoptions are on a trial basis because our goal is to have a successful adoption where the cat has a good permanent home for its lifetime and never ends up in a bad situation again. We ask that you give the cat a chance to adjust and settle in his new home and environment. This should be a bonding period where you get to know the cat and connect with it, spend time with it and take things slow. He/she will need to get to know and trust you and learn the rules of the house and what is expected of him/her. This takes time, sometimes 2-3 weeks or more. We hold the adoption fee for one month and if the adoption is not working out, we ask that you contact us and return the cat to us and we will refund your adoption fee.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Bandit, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.