Walking into a rescue centre or cat shelter can be a lot to take in. There are rows of faces, each with a story, and every one of them is looking for a home. Research from shelters in several countries has started to show what tends to make an adoption stick, and it comes down to a few behaviours and a few ways of looking.

Knowing what to look for, and how to give a cat a fair chance to show themselves, helps you find a lifelong friend while giving a cat the home they've been waiting for.

What Really Draws People to Cats

Cat in shelter environment

Researchers in the United States asked nearly 1,500 adopters at five shelters why they chose the animal they did. For adult cats, the single reason given most often was how the cat behaved with them, at about three in ten. For kittens, the most common answer was looks. Asked to tick every reason that had mattered, two thirds of cat adopters ticked appearance and nearly eight in ten ticked the cat's behaviour with people.

The first thing the chosen cat did on meeting its new owner was telling too. Coming over to say hello was the most common, at about one in five, with meowing or purring next and rubbing or leaning against the person third.

A separate study in Vancouver asked adopters what they'd been looking for. Every one of them said a cat that was friendly with them, and most also mentioned playful, happy and relaxed. Looks mattered, but they came further down the list.

The quiet cat sitting calmly at the front of the pen may be doing exactly what appeals to adopters, even if the cat pacing next door is more eye-catching. And the Vancouver study did something else that changed the picture entirely...

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Research rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 of 5). Last updated 25 August 2026.

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