Grama-Herc,
I certainly hope I did not give the impression that shelters or shelter animals are bad. I got Hampton at the shelter I worked at at and had him until he died at age 17. I loved him and he was a great dog. I had several great dogs in my care there.
Once, a rottie broke his leash and went for me and an unknown large breed I was walking defended my life, to the point of laying on top of my body, covering me from head to foot. This was the first time I'd walked that dog. I was overwhelmed by his actions.
That's just one of many heatwarming stories I have from my five years there. I met many wonderful loving animals who were the victims of misfortune. My mom's cat was obviously treated very badly and that's why he is so mean. It isn't his fault and we don't hold him responsible. We repsect his boundries. Have, actually gone way out of our way to set up his home to be safe for him.
The problem isn't with animals in shelters, it's the humans who go to adopt them. You have to go in with some knowledge of animal behavior. My moms cat purred and hugged her b/c he wanted to be saved. But having saved him, he is a mean son of a gun.
I have seen animals treated so badly they can't be rehablitated, was almost mauled by a dobe that was starved and beaten and given every chance he continued to be a danger.
One girl adopted a husky. We told her huskies have an instict to hunt small animals. It's not set in stone, not every husky does it, but we needed her to know it was a possibility. After two dead squirrels and a rabbit offered at her feet she brought the dog back in tears.
Shelters are fine. The county run one in the city near my home is horrible and it's the people who run it who make it so bad. I almost applied there when I heard about the conditions and decided not to.
So, yes, animals have personalities, in in those personalities they react to stress the way we do. Imagine being shot in the neck with an arrow, left to die, then brought to a strange place full of noise and strangers and put in a cage. This behavior will be different in the shelter than in a home.
Ham was so worried when I brought him home. Paced for two days, like he wasn't sure what kind of home he was in. He finally chewed the cord off the vacuum cleaner and when I didn't punish him he relaxed and we were good. I knew he was anxious and I certainly understand anxiety so I just laughed and he relaxed.
Chloe was just wild and Clay was not able to defend himself against her. I tried so many things to curb her and protect him but it didn't work out. Chloe too began peeing on rugs and my shoes and eventually we found her a new home. Not her fault, not the shelters fault, but my own misunderstanding of cats and their nature.
Now, I have a better understanding of what kind of personality of an animal fits with mine. I prefer my sister's cat Karma, who seeks affection and loves to play. I prefer the gentleness but quik acuity of the golden over the single-minded focus of the dobe or the hyperactivity of pointers.
I know I'm talking mostly dogs here, b/c your point about ctas is well taken. They don't have repeated personality patterns that dogs do. My second golden, Jordan, is very much like my first in many important ways. Their basic personality, love, obedience, affection, gentleness, goes from breed to breed. cats don't seem to have that that I have seen.
Cat
