Every few days someone messages us asking where they can buy a kitten. We always reply the same way, gently and without a lecture. You don't need to buy one. We have cats waiting for a home right now, right here, between Benidorm and the villages around it. Lovely cats, healthy and ready to go home with you today. We're a small group of volunteers and we run entirely on a network of foster homes. We see what happens when people buy a kitten on impulse and, a few months later, that same cat ends up needing rescuing. So we'd like to explain, with no pressure at all, why adopting is almost always the better choice for you and for the cat.
There are cats waiting, more than you'd think
The Costa Blanca has far too many cats without a home. Unwanted litters in the urbanisations, cats left behind when someone moves back to their own country, kittens who turn up on a terrace looking for food in the middle of August. It isn't a distant problem. It happens in l'Alfàs del Pi, in La Nucía, in Villajoyosa, on any street in Benidorm. When you buy a cat from a breeder, that animal is bred to be sold while another one, already alive and already here, keeps on waiting.
Adopting isn't settling for whatever's going. We have cats of every age and temperament. There are playful kittens, calm adults who just want a sofa and some company, and the odd shy one who blossoms the moment he trusts you. Take your time seeing who's available. There's nearly always a cat who fits your life.
What's already done when you adopt from Cat's Club Benidorm
This is the part a lot of people don't realise. A cat adopted through us isn't a half-finished job. Before he goes home, we make sure the cat is:
- Neutered or spayed. Spanish law requires this before six months of age: the law itself carves out breeders on the official register, and the Ministry's guidance also accepts a vet's justified opinion.
- Microchipped and registered, which is compulsory for cats here.
- Vaccinated appropriately for their age.
- Tested for FIV and feline leukaemia, so you know exactly where their health stands.
Add up what all of that costs at a clinic and the "cheap" kitten from an advert ends up far more expensive.
The trouble with buying from breeders
We don't enjoy pointing fingers, but let's be honest. While there are cats sleeping rough out there, bringing more kittens into the world to sell them doesn't make much sense. And sadly, not everyone who sells looks after them properly. Mothers have litter after litter, kittens are taken from mum far too soon, animals are sold with no vaccinations and no worming. A high price tag on a "pedigree" cat guarantees none of that.
There's a simpler point too. A cat's affection has nothing to do with its pedigree. A common moggy rescued from a building site will love you every bit as much, and probably more, than any cat bought for three hundred euros.
Adopting saves two lives, not one
This is the bit we find most moving. When you adopt, you save the cat who goes home with you. But you also free up a place in one of our foster homes, and that space lets us rescue the next cat who needs us. No foster homes, no rescues, it really is that simple. Every adoption keeps the wheel turning.
So an adoption is never just one happy cat in your living room. Somewhere across the area, it's also another cat coming in safe because you made room.
The one thing we ask: an indoor cat
Our cats are rehomed as indoor cats, and we always ask for protection on windows and balconies. It isn't fussiness. Nearly all of us here live in flats with a terrace, and cats do fall. "High-rise syndrome" is real, they don't always land on their feet, and a fall from a fourth-floor balcony can be fatal. A bit of netting costs little and saves a life. It's the one firm condition we keep to.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to adopt or buy a cat?+
For almost everyone, adopt. There are huge numbers of homeless cats waiting, an adopted cat usually comes already neutered, chipped, vaccinated and tested, and you give a second chance to an animal that already exists rather than fuelling more breeding. Buying from a breeder guarantees neither better health nor more affection.
How much does it cost to adopt a cat from Cat's Club?+
Adoption isn't a purchase. We ask for a contribution that helps towards the vet costs (neutering, microchip, vaccines and tests) we've already covered for the cat. Get in touch and we'll talk it through with no obligation.
Do rescue cats come healthy?+
Before being offered for adoption, every cat sees the vet: neutered or spayed, microchipped, vaccinated and tested for FIV and feline leukaemia. We always tell you the cat's real health situation before you decide anything.
Why do you insist on indoor cats and window protection?+
Because we live in an area of flats with terraces and balconies, and cats fall and are seriously hurt or killed. The idea that they always land on their feet is a dangerous myth. That's why we make it a firm condition that the cat lives indoors with the windows and balcony protected.
If this rings true for you, take the step. Have a look at the cats we have waiting, see who steals your heart, and get in touch. And if you can't adopt right now but want to help, become a foster home or chip in with a donation. Every bit frees up space for the next cat. Thank you for thinking of adopting first.
