With many shelters currently in an overcapacity crisis, it is an ideal time to adopt or foster a cat or kitten, Samantha Bell, cat expert at Best Friends Animal Society, said in a press release issued by Best Friends.

“Sadly, cats are killed at shelters at twice the rate of dogs,” Bell said. “Right now, there are lots of awesome homeless cats across the country at risk who really need your help.” 

Adopting, fostering or helping community cats and kittens promises to be mutually beneficial, she added. Here is why:

Cats can keep you healthy. Pets are good for us. The companionship of animals has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety, helping people to feel calmer and more secure no matter what’s going on in the outside world.  

Not home much? No problem. Felines are fine sleeping most of the day (and night) whether you’re home or not. Leave them with interactive toys for enrichment and food puzzles while you’re gone. Give them love and playtime when you’re home and they’ll be content. If you’re worried about a lonely kitty when you’re away, consider adopting two cats or kittens, so they’ll always have a feline friend to keep them company. 

Cats are low maintenance. Cats are easier to leave at home when you have a road trip planned or flight to catch. For short trips, have a neighbor drop by to check food and water supplies and clean the litter box. For longer trips, there are lots of reputable pet-sitting apps that can hook you up with a cat caregiver. If you might miss your cat’s adorable antics when you’re away, set up a camera so you can watch from afar. 

Adult cats are cool. Oftentimes, it’s difficult for adult cats to get noticed by potential adopters when they’re competing with so many cute, fuzzy kitten faces. There are advantages of adopting an adult cat—like bypassing the whacky, naughty kitten stage. You can choose a cat whose personality is already established and know exactly what you’re getting.  

Not ready to adopt? No worries. You can try out pet parenting or just enjoy some furry companionship by fostering a cat or kitten – or even a few of them. Shelters provide the food, supplies and medical care, while you provide a home and love. It’s a great way to make a huge impact for your local shelter by freeing up staffing and space resources.

You can also save lives by helping community cats. Community cat programs, which help outdoor, free-roaming cats through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return, are the most effective way to save lives and humanely reduce the population over time, improving save rates by as much as 80%.

In TNVR programs, community cats are humanely trapped, medically evaluated, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and ear-tipped under anesthesia for identification. They are then returned to their outdoor homes to live out their lives maintained by community caregivers.