Bred for quality. Raised with love. Shown with pride.

FurryDance adoption process

The adoption and interviewing process often takes many weeks. When people fill out our Adoption Application, we get to know them better; then together we figure out what color, or what sex, would suit a new owner...and what new family each kitten would be best suited for.

Sometimes the prospective family changes their mind, or finds another kitten. We may decide that they may not be quite the right home for a FurryDance cat. A lot depends on how the kittens mature and how their personalities develop.

How do we choose homes for our cats?

Will it be the first person on our waiting list? Not necessarily.

Will it be someone who contacts us frequently for kitten news? That certainly helps because we love to hear the excitement and anticipation in their voices.

Will it be someone who has fallen in love with the breed because they have had one Rex already, or someone who is a first time Cornish Rex parent? Well, the people who are already in love with these cats certainly make our job easier: the cats sell themselves. But we think that the joys of being a first time Cornish Rex owner, and experiencing just how wonderful these cats are, and the happiness of a former Rex owner over having another special cat in their home, are pretty much equal.

When do we let them go to their new home?

The kittens' eyes open at about 2 weeks of age and they begin to recognize our voices and scent.

At 3 weeks, they are learning to play and wrestle with their litter mates, and mom is teaching them manners, too.

At about 4 weeks, they are allowed to venture out of the kitten tent, which is set up at the foot of our bed, and can play in the safe confines of our bedroom. They learn proper litter box habits and get used to having their nails trimmed, ears cleaned and being bathed. This is something we start at an early age so they are comfortable with it as adults.

Between 6-12 weeks of age they learn their socialization skills: what is acceptable play, how hard to bite without getting reprimanded by mom, and how to behave around other cats too. At this time they are becoming dependent on people for attention and care.

At around 12 weeks, they get to have full run of our home, with 3 levels of fun!

Finally, when they reach 16 weeks, they are able to leave their birth home at Furry Dance and begin a new adventure with their adoptive families!

Operating instructions

When we sell a cat, we always like to show the new owners how to bathe and clean ears and trim nails. If they can pick the kitten up in person, these instructions are all an important "part of the package." Knowing how to perform these minor "beauty" routines comfortably will help the bonding and caring relationship between owner and kitten grow.

We also depend on communication to form and maintain a relationship with the people who adopt a cat from us. In fact, after 20 years of breeding Cornish Rex, we still know where all our kitties are. Through email, photos and even in person visits, we stay in touch, and we get enormous pleasure from knowing how all our "kids" are doing.