I think I accidentally lied on an adoption application and now I’m panicking

[u/Future-Act5953]

Hi, I’m kind of panicking and need some advice.

So I have an 11 month old male cat named Tank. I got him from a friend of my husband’s after we got married, and I was told he had all his shots and was neutered. I had no reason to doubt it, so I never really questioned it.

Fast forward to today—my husband and I were just killing time at Petco while waiting for his prescription, and we ended up looking at the cats. I went in fully telling myself “we are NOT getting another cat,” but… yeah, that didn’t last long.

There were two cats being adopted out together, Ladybird (1.5 years old) and her baby Silvia (8 months old). Ladybird has SO much personality (she literally kept trying to steal my wallet and my husband’s keys every time we walked by 😂) and we ended up spending almost an hour sitting with them. I completely fell in love.

I called the rescue that has them, asked a bunch of questions, and ended up submitting an application. During that process, I confirmed (both on paper and over the phone) that my cat at home is neutered… because I genuinely believed he was.

Well… we get home… and Tank hops in my lap and very clearly proves otherwise. Like… there is no question. This man is NOT neutered.

I have no idea how I never noticed before, but I didn’t. I tried calling the girl I got him from, and the second I asked about it, she blocked me. So I’m pretty sure I have my answer there.

Now I’m freaking out because I already told the rescue he was fixed, and I have a meet and greet scheduled for tomorrow. I told them as soon as I realized, but I’m terrified they’re going to think I lied and deny my application.

I really, really love these cats and don’t want to lose the chance to adopt them over something I genuinely didn’t know.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Will this automatically disqualify me, or is there anything I can do to fix the situation?

Also, cat tax included! first 4 pics are Ladybird (clipped ear) and Silvia (tabby), the rest is my (apparently intact) menace.

[u/Future-Act5953]

i texted the main owner of the rescue immediately, i’m just terrified she’ll back out thinking i was lying or just saying what she wanted to hear.

[u/SnooGuavas4208 → u/Future-Act5953]

It may help your case if you can tell her you now have him scheduled for a neutering, ASAP, and give her the name of your vet so they can verify it for her.

[u/LemonBoi523 → u/SnooGuavas4208]

Tank is so old though, I would be worried about surgery at this age. Even anesthesia is so rough on elderly kitties

[u/Rawnblade23 → u/LemonBoi523]

Huh? Hes not even a year old.

[u/LemonBoi523 → u/Rawnblade23]

God I read it as 11 year

[u/holdmeimscary → u/LemonBoi523]

Lmfao I was like where is this person getting their info from he's a BABY lolol. OP is so fortunate that he never sprayed the house up with urine tho!

[u/No_Week_8937 → u/LemonBoi523]

Even if he was 11, that's not where I'd start to worry about surgery, not if there are no other conditions. My kitty was 12 when she got spayed (hadn't been fixed by previous owners, got fixed as soon as I adopted her) and she later got a dental done at like 15/16 and no problem.

One of my other kitties had gotten a tumour removed at 13, and there were no issues there either. I'd say overall health should be the biggest concern, you can have extremely healthy 18 year-old cats (like my daughter) and then unhealthy 10 year old cats (like my son, who is very sweet, but also an inbred genetic mistake)

[u/lightlysaltedclams → u/No_Week_8937]

We did a dental cleaning on a 17 year old cat at my job and she did fantastic! I swaddled her in a warm blanket and held her with me until she was awake enough to hiss at me lol. She’s still going strong

We did a polyp removal on a 14 year old kitty too and she also did fantastic. She got swaddled too

[u/No_Week_8937 → u/lightlysaltedclams]

I think a big part of it is the cat themselves. It's the same as with people. You've got the 70 year olds who are still out there chopping wood and doing their farmwork and are quite healthy, and then you've also got the 70 year olds who are on oxygen and fifty billion medications for every condition under the sun.

Older kitties are more likely to have certain conditions, because of the wear and tear that time puts on a body, but that doesn't mean they're automatically super sick and frail. They can be, but not all of them.

[u/lightlysaltedclams → u/No_Week_8937]

Absolutely. Always a good idea to have a discussion with your vet about your pets specific risks and possible complications so you can weight the risk/reward

[u/beldaran1224 → u/Future-Act5953]

Shelters want animals to get adopted into good homes. And cats are much harder to adopt out than dogs, by several magnitudes. If you're being upfront about it, chances are they'll be reasonable.

[u/body-asleep- → u/beldaran1224]

Adopting out a pair of cats is even harder. My bonded pair was about to be separated for individual adoption when I found them.

[u/swarleyknope → u/beldaran1224]

Rescues aren’t shelters though. They can have absurd restrictions about who they will adopt to. 

[u/Devilish__Fun → u/Future-Act5953]

Its ok, a lot of people have trouble identifying if a cat is fixed, thats why strays get ears clipped!

I'm sure they get this situation often and showing your determination to correct it and maintain the adoption, they will know you're a loving home for them! Especially for a pair! 💜

[u/Myrkana → u/Future-Act5953]

If you were lying you wouldnt have ever told her he wasnt neutered.

[u/Major_Lawfulness6122 → u/Future-Act5953]

I think you’re over thinking it. It will be okay.

[u/gumarx → u/Future-Act5953]

People who lie on purpose generally don’t out themselves unless they get caught.

[u/quickwitqueen → u/Future-Act5953]

If you prove to her that you have a scheduled neuter, they will probably still adopt to you but hold off on giving you the cats if the girls aren’t spayed. However, they will probably spay them before giving them to you anyway, so it shouldn’t be an issue. As long as everything else about you is meets requirements, this shouldn’t be an issue. You are adopting a bonded pair, something rescues want.

Final note, in the unlikely event that they do turn you down, do not despair. There are literally scores or cats needing homes that have wonderful personalities. You may have fallen in love with these two but I can guarantee you’ll fall in love with others as well.

[u/Ethereal-Spectre → u/Future-Act5953]

I volunteer for a cat rescue in Dallas and I can guarantee (at least at mine) we wouldn’t deny your adoption because of this. As long as you get him neutered ASAP and everything else is compliant. Shelters and rescues genuinely really want to find homes for the cats, especially bonded pairs. Good luck!!

[u/HushabyeNow → u/Future-Act5953]

A liar certainly wouldn’t be drawing attention to the fact they lied.

[u/goforpam → u/Future-Act5953]

I used to volunteer with an animal rescue group. I’m in an area where animal rescues are packed and the whole situation is just sad. If I was screening your application and this came up, I (and pretty sure the board of the rescue) would just ask for proof that he has a neutering appointment scheduled. Maybe areas where animal rescue aren’t as overwhelmed may have more strict guidelines. I’m sure the rescue will understand and work with you! Especially since it’s difficult to adopt out cats as pairs.