hen selecting a new animal friend for life, many people choose a puppy or kitten. Young animals make great pets, but there are many mature animals available that often go unnoticed in shelters. There are many advantages to adopting one of these older pets who are just as much in need of finding a loving home.

Housebroken:

Many adult animals have been house or litter box trained in previous homes. During an animal’s stay at the shelter, it may temporarily forget the housebreaking rules due to the stress of being kenneled. When such an animal is placed in a new home, it may only need some “reminder training.” This is much easier than starting from scratch with a young animal that has never been house trained.

Less Destructive:

Adult dogs and cats are often less destructive than puppies and kittens. Many young animals are very curious and chew, scratch or play with several things in the house. As the animal matures, it tends to curtail or stop its behavior of “getting into everything.”

Physical and Behavioral Characteristics:

“What you see is what you get.” This old saying usually applies when you adopt an older animal. Although their behavior may change, an adult animal’s personality is generally more stable and predictable than that of a puppy or kitten. Many of an adult’s physical characteristics cannot be predicted from looks when young. Puppy and kitten owners often play a guessing game of how big their pet will grow, what it will look like and what its personality will be like.

Less Expensive:

The veterinary expenses of a 2-5-year-old animal can be cheaper than the expenses of a puppy or kitten. Full-grown dogs and cats need vaccination shots only once per year. Puppies and kittens must visit a veterinarian at least three times for a series of vaccination shots. Adult dogs and cats have a more natural resistance and a stronger immune system than puppies and kittens. Thus, an older animal is less susceptible to diseases common in puppies and kittens.

Training your Dog:

The attention span of a puppy is generally shorter than that of an adult dog. This makes teaching the household rules to a puppy more difficult than to an adult dog. Although both puppies and adult dogs require human interaction, a puppy needs more attention than an adult dog. Thus, an adult generally can stay home alone for a longer period than a puppy.

Exercising your Dog:

Full-grown dogs are immediately ready to exercise with their owners (walking, running and hiking to name a few). Puppies need time to grow and develop their muscles before being included in these activities.

Playful Kittens:

Kittens are often regarded as the most playful animals on earth. Although fun to watch, supervising a kitten who thinks everything is a toy requires much time and patience. Older cats tend to be much more sedate.