Adoption Process
♡ How to Adopt:
Thank you for considering a Mittenstar Kitten! ♡
To start the adoption process:
1. Please sign up for our email notification list using our contact form at the end of this page (or on our 'Contact Us' page.) This is how we keep in touch with you as kittens are born, grow, and become available for adoption.
2. Please read through the Documents page. This has our Go-home Guides, and our 2025 Adoption Contract. The contract not only covers important agreements, it's also meant to be a guide for you to look at and use in the care of your kitten and is full of information!
3. Read through this page!
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We do not keep a paid waitlist.
I find it best to wait until the kittens are old enough for me to be able to see their growing personalities, and then I take adoption applications openly from anyone interested - this is usually around 8 weeks old.
This way, I can genuinely tell people about the kittens they’re interested in, so you can choose not just based on looks (they’re all cute really lol!), but also on personality.
This way you aren't feeling 'forced' to go with 'whatever is left' at the end of a waitlist, and each kitten can find their 'perfect match'!
I always appreciate people reaching out to me to let me know that they're interested or if they are waiting for something really specific, and I’m always happy to talk with potential families (or returning families!) and can share extra info, pictures, and videos of any kittens you may be particularly interested in.
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Our adoption process, from birth to go-home week is outlined below!
♡ Step 1 - Kittens are born; updates go out
Once kittens are born and are stable and thriving, we announce them on social media and to our email list.
Joining our email list is how we stay in contact with people who are seriously interested, I always send out email announcements before opening up our adoption applications!
Please see the form at the end of this page if you would like to receive our kitten updates!
I will continue to send out email updates and post cute social media updates on the kittens as they hit major milestones over those first weeks to give people an idea of what each kitten is like. Our website will also be updated with their baby pictures, and descriptions, and the begin to wake up to the world and gain their colors and personalities.
From 0 - 4 weeks, they really are such small things, and it is too early to judge their characters and final colors.
♡ Step 2 - Kittens are evaluated
Between weeks 5 - 8 I start to know really what kittens will be like in personality and color. It is during this time that I will begin to evaluate them... and list them as available!
If I am deciding on whether or not to keep a kitten, I may not list them at 8 weeks. It takes time for a breeder to tell if a kitten will have the right qualities to remain here as a future show and breed prospect. Sometimes older kittens will become available at the end of a longer evaluation period.
Generally though, I will begin updating our website, the email list, and our social media pages with what kittens will be available by time they are 8 weeks old.
Our kitten page will include what dates kittens are born, and when they will reach 8 weeks old - so you can know to check on the website regularly. I will open up adoption applications only when kittens are actually available for adoption.
You are always welcome to reach out and ask for additional pictures of any of the kittens, at any time! Especially once they are 4 weeks and older, I always have way more pictures (and videos) on my camera roll than I am able to share online, I am happy to send them to you via text or messenger.
♡ Step 3 - Kittens are Matched with Adoptees
I no longer do ' first pick / second pick / third pick ' type reservation wait lists... as these just get too messy too fast. Our kittens are listed as available as they are evaluated and become available, and to some extent it is first come, first serve.
I will open up adoption applications only when kittens are actually available for adoption, this will be clearly listed on our website. Our adoption application is super simple, and I can give you an example of it with all of our questions if you'd like to prepare your answers ahead of time, just send me an email to ask for that!
Adoption Application time for most kittens is once they are 8 weeks old!
I try to match kittens to the right homes and right personalities, so when you fill out an application, it will ask you which kitten (or kittens) you are interested in at the time. We will then set up a time to talk either on the phone or through a video call to go over everything together.
I strongly recommend having a first choice, second choice, and third choice on kittens before reaching out. Adoption applications can move quickly within a single day, and I may not have time to update the website in between application calls.
I know most people picture a perfect 'moment' where you can come meet all the kittens and have ' the one ' single you out from the crowd, and they'll come right over to you and it will be all magic and rainbows - but this is rarely how it actually plays out! Kittens are playful, rambunctious, and how they act when first meeting them is not always how they actually are once you get to know them. I have to take into account all of the serious adoption requests we have, and I do my best to match the best fit for each kitten.
During our call, we will go over any questions you may have for me, and I’ll have some questions for you, too! We will go over what you were thinking of for a kitten to match your lifestyle, and if the kitten (or kittens!) you had your eye on would really be a good fit for you.
I can also send over additional pictures and videos I may have of the kitten from the last few weeks, to help you make your decision!
♡ Step 4 - Reserving your Kitten
Once we talk and agree on the kitten(s), the next step is reserving them with a signed Agreement, and security deposit.
The contract is a PDF document and must be signed digitally, I can walk you through this if you need help, it is very simple in most applications. A sample contract is on our Documents page for you to view!
The deposit may be paid in person with cash - or through Paypal or Venmo online. You are welcome to come and meet your kitten once the deposit is paid! (We always meet at our local police station for everyone's safety.)
Once your kitten is reserved, I will take your preferred contact information and begin sending you regular updates on your kitten(s)!
I try to send candid pictures / videos every few days, and I do at least one or two 'professional' photoshoot sets of the kittens before they leave us. Many of the kitten pictures on our website are actually update pictures I send the families! The extra cute ones I save and use here! :)
I totally understand this is a very special, often once in a lifetime type experience - so I do my best to send very regular updates on your baby as we go along.
There typically is a 4 - 6 week wait from when you reserve your kitten at 8 weeks old, to when they are ready to go home to you at 12 - 14 weeks old! Again, I will send lots and lots of updates to you during this period ~
♡ Step 5 - Kittens are vetted
Between 6 weeks old and 11 weeks old, kittens get two vaccines about 4 weeks apart, and are spayed or neutered once they are old enough (this is normally done when they are about 2.5 - 3 lbs at 10 or 11 weeks old).
Spaying and neutering them at 10 - 12 weeks old, is actually much safer for them! Before they are hormonally developed, the surgery for either sex is much simpler as the reproductive organs are not fully developed (so there is less blood flow to them, and virtually no risk of injury from removal) and drastically improves recovery time. Every kitten we've fixed here is back up and running like nothing happened the next day! It's more of a challenge to keep them still the first week of recovery than anything, because they're so lightweight and the surgical sites are so small. Kittens also need far less anesthesia than older cats, making surgery and recovery for them faster and safer.
There have been multiple long-term studies done in cats, following kittens who were fixed early, vs cats who were fixed later - and there were virtually no negative side effects, and plenty of positive ones in every study. There are so many long-term health benefits from early spay and neuter - like decreased cancer risks, decreased stress and cortisol levels leading to greater immune health, and many behavioral benefits as well. The humane society has regularly been fixing kittens as early as 6 - 8 weeks for decades now, and cats (unlike dogs) regulate most of their growth hormones within their brains - so fixing them early does not stunt growth, and again, has a protective effect against multiple types of cancer.
Each kitten goes home with a medical booklet, showing their vaccination stickers from the veterinarian, and the dates and notes of their wellness exams. Your veterinarian is always welcome to call our vet clinic to confirm medical records with our vet, as well.
♡ Step 6 - KITTEN COMES HOME!
And finally... we reach our go-home week!! Kittens must be at least 12 weeks old before going home - we often have kittens leave between 12 and 16 weeks old depending on their spay or neuter timing, and your schedule. They are still very much kittens even if they are leaving at 16 weeks / 4 months.
We will schedule a time to meet for you to pick up your kitten, and I will have go-home information I will send you prior to this, so you can begin preparing to bring baby home.
I will have lists with the types of food and litter you'll need for kitten, recommendations for their care and toys, and how to go through kitten proofing your home and kitten behavior articles I will send you via email to help you prepare for bringing them home.
Please review the Go-Home guides, on our Documents page, for what we recommend when bringing kitten home. What kinds of food, litter, toys, cleaning products, hazards (and more!) are outlined within our guides - as well as thorough bonding guides that have had proven success time and time again with how to help your kitten settle in and bond with you.
At a minimum, you'll need to have a dedicated room (whether a bedroom, bathroom, or guest room) where you can fully kitten proof and keep the kitten whenever you cannot watch them directly. I do not recommend letting your kitten have full run of your home until they are old enough to be trusted not to eat things they shouldn't - this is usually 6 months or older.
You will also need to line up vet care to inspect your new kitten and line up their next vaccinations BEFORE you pick up your kitten, as many veterinarians are often booked out a week or more or have requirements for new patients.
Again, these topics are all covered in our go-home guides!
Your kitten(s) will also come with 30 days of completely free, full coverage Trupanion pet insurance that I require you activate the day of pick-up.