Reddit reviews PetSafe Solvit PupSTEP Lite Pet Stairs, Steps for Dogs and Cats, Best for Small to Medium Pets, Non-Fold Design

tl;dr: Adopt the kitty and sorry for the wall of text.

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OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I NEED PICTURES!

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YES! Big kitties need love too! Especially kitties who have special needs! Kittens get adopted super quick but it can take so long for adult cats. Thank you SO MUCH for considering adopting a big mini panther! I may primarily foster kittens, but adult cats are where my heart is. We had a big mini panther (that was my old account, recently changed names so made this one) who was the mama to 5 beautiful tabby kittens, and she's still in the shelter. Giving her up was the hardest and my heart aches every time I check the adoption page and see she's still there.

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You seem to know what kitty you want but you're on the fence about it, so let me help you lean one way or the other. Hopefully to adopt the little big boy because the fact that you have one picked out already means you're 95% ready. You're just being responsible and making sure you would be the best person for this special cat and I SO appreciate it!

• DON'T LET PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF GOOD! Your big mini panther's life in your home will absolutely be better than at the shelter unless you're gone A LOT. Shelters are stressful places for animals and sick animals come and go. I seriously can not stress that even if you're not the world's most perfect pet parent, you will be far better than a shelter.
  
• The fact that you're even considering that you might not be a good pet parent means you'll be a great pet parent. Who are the best parents you know? The ones that go OMG BAYBEEEEZ and get pregnant and don't do any research? Or the ones that go "I really want kids, but I might not be up to the task. Let me take time, research, and consider if this is a good choice." You're thinking it through, so if you decide to take him home I know you'll be great. I know this because not taking him home is an option that you're considering because you're thinking of what is best for a cat that isn't even yours yet.
  
• However, kitties cost money. This is ESPECIALLY true if you have a special needs kitty. Do his legs just look a little funny and he walks like a goof? He won't be much more expensive than any other cat. You may want to consider buying some pet stairs to make things easier, but other than some minor one time accessibility things it might not be anything. Will kitty require surgery, frequent vet visits, or other long term ongoing costs? That's definitely something to account for. With the fosters, I've scoured all over for the best cheap stuff. I like to get rid of all things like scratchers and non-plastic toys between litters so nothing can get passed between litters so you can bet I know a lot of cost effective things to buy! I'd be THRILLED to share them with you if it would mean getting a cat out of the shelter.
  
• The care for kitties is also a concern with special needs cats. If your silly legged big mini panther won't be able to say get in and out of the litter because of his legs, are you willing to go the extra mile to make sure that he has an easy time and if an accident happens are you willing to deal with it more frequently than another kitty? It sounds like he just has silly legs so it's not something to even think about, but think worst case.
  
• That being said, cats are super easy to care for, especially adult cats. I would actually be way more "well... think about these things" if you were getting a kitten. They are just as much as a pain in the ass as they are cute and they require SO much work. Worth it but chances are I'm not adopting a kitten again even though I foster them as a "job". Adult cats though do their own thing. They can handle you being gone for most of the day because they will sleep for most of time you're gone, and as long as you can play with them a bit, give them food, and cuddle them when you get home, you both will be fine.
  
• One very big consideration though is your schedule and any potential medications. Typically medications need to be given once a day so you can just pick whatever time works best for you, but some kitties (think diabetes) need medicine multiple times a day. Can you get home to give them medications or get someone else to? If yes, bring the baby home. If no, do something else such assssss:
  
  • Pay for the adoption fee for someone else to bring him home. It's a really easy, low effort way to help him get into a home faster. It doesn't prevent a good person from adopting him if you're concerned about the "If they want a free cat, they probably won't take good care of him"
    
  • Some shelters will let you sponsor an animal to pay for their medical care. You can make sure he's living a good life without bringing him home. My shelter is basically the local animal control so they don't ask for sponsorship, but this a shelter we've adopted from who does. Ask yours for what you can do!
    
  • Try fostering adult cats yourself. When animals sit in cages all day every day, it's hard on their mental and physical health. Giving them a break is an amazing thing! It can also let you know if you're ready for a cat and how you would do with them without making the 20 year (based on age ofc) commitment. Tell your shelter you're thinking of adopting but don't know if you're ready, and ask if they would let you foster to see if you would be up to the task. A lot of people try fostering and foster fail on their first batch because it's so hard to return them since you get so attached.
    
  • I wrote something here about what you can do to help animals. So if right now isn't the best time, you can still help!
    
• If this is your first cat, I wrote up a quick thing here about bringing them home. I was thinking about it for a while and basically wrote it super quick when a friend from the /r/aww discord was about to bring home his first cat, so it's not written very well nor does it have a lot of the things I recommend buying. But like I said in the cost section, I have a TON of very cheap things that are really good that I would love to recommend.