available at Wayside Waifs, Kansas City, MO

My name is Shanti and I am a very special kitten. I was found in the wild and spent a month in a feral rehab home where my foster mom rubbed my belly and gave me my space as I was scared of everything. For the most part, I like to just sleep and chill because I am still no so certain what indoor kitty life is all about. I need a special family that is looking for a special kitten. I am more laid back then those wild kittens who run all over the place, but I will play once I get comfortable. My new home will have to be very understanding that for the first week I may just hide. But with a feather wand and some wet food, I will come out eventually. Then later on in life, I just know I will be the kitten you were waiting for. Probably a lazy tom cat! If you reach in my kennel, remember to go slow and then rub my belly!

Remember though ... KITTENHOOD IS A PRETTY SHORT PART OF A CAT'S LIFE. Soon I'll be a full grown cat. Adopting me means a LIFETIME, FOREVER commitment that can easily last for15 years or longer. Are you ready to take on that responsibility?

JUST IN CASE YOU'VE NEVER HAD A KITTEN BEFORE, LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR BASIC NEEDS...

We of course need food, water and shelter. Just as important is daily human love and attention. Some people think cats are independent, but we totally rely on our humans for physical needs as well as emotional well-being. We need regular positive people interaction to be happy and healthy. With kittens especially, relationship building takes extra daily time and effort.

We need to live indoors away from dangers like traffic, unfriendly animals or people, pesticides, parasites or germs that can make us sick. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 4-5 times longer than for outdoor cats. If you love me, you will keep me indoors or make sure any time outside is supervised and safe.

We need mental stimulation! Toys are great for that, giving us an outlet for our energy and a way to satisfy our natural hunting instinct. Toys can be simple - many of us like stuffed mice, balls and feather wands. (Please don't let us play with your hands. That may be 'cute' when we are little, but is not so safe for you as we grow!)

Cats of all ages need a place to scratch! It's a natural instinct and serves many purposes: 1) an outlet for our energy; 2) a way to relieve stress; 3) a way to stretch our muscles to stay strong; and 4) the natural way to shed the outer layers of our claws so the inner layers can grow. That brings us to another vital topic:

DECLAWING is a very serious subject we must talk about. During declawing, the entire first joint of a cat's toes are removed. Think how it might affect you if your fingers were chopped off at the first knuckle. Declawing is like that. It is painful and often has nasty side-effects, including an unnatural gait, lack of balance, lifelong pain, bad litter box habits and biting. Some declawed cats avoid the litter box because scratching in the litter hurts their damaged paws. Declawed cats are more likely to bite because their best defense (their claws) is gone. Getting outside could mean death or injury to a cat without claws. For all those reasons, many countries around the world and cities here in the US have made declawing illegal! MANY GREAT ALTERNATIVES TO DECLAWING a kitten exist. Scratching posts or mats, regular nail trimming, using nail caps, sticky strips... these are a few easy techniques to train me to scratch where you'd like. Now that you know all about scratching, you'd never declaw a wonderful kitten like me, would you?

Well, hope you understand enough now about kitten adoption to make a good decision. Please come down to Wayside and meet me today!!! I am so anxious to love you and to go with you to my new forever home!!! I just can't wait! Hurry!!! We kittens usually get scooped up pretty quickly around here!!!

Your kitten to be? Shanti

Wayside Waifs, Inc. is an independent, not-for-profit humane society and animal welfare organization established in 1944. Our mission Wayside Waifs is a charitable animal shelter whose purpose is to place adoptable companion animals in responsible homes. To accomplish this, we employ 3 key strategies: 1. Providing temporary shelter for homeless companion animals 2. Educating the public 3. Developing partnerships, collaborations and strategic alliances.