How do I adopt a pet?

Thank you for your interest in the animals at Beare Garden Animal Rescue (BGAR). We have many fantastic companions that might be just the right fit for you. You may schedule a visit to our shelter facility by calling or texting 252-531-0453 or come meet our cats at PetSmart in Greenville NC. Our cat room at PetSmart is open daily. On weekdays, we offer adoption hours in the mornings and on some days into the early afternoon and early evening depending on volunteer availability. On weekends someone is at PetSmart 10-2. The times and dates are posted by the cat adoption room at PetSmart. If you find a match, you will need to complete an adoption application (see below). All adoption applications will be reviewed by the rescue staff. Prior to approval, we have a brief interview conversation with applicants to ensure a good fit for the cat or cats of interest.

Our current adoption donation is $100. Our discounted cost to fully vet a healthy kitten or cat is at minimum $250 to $350, so a minimum donation is required to offset our costs. If you adopt an unvetted cat elsewhere and take it to your vet, the cost for the same services could be $400 or more. We are able to accept credit cards, debit cards, check, PayPal, Venmo and cash. Our Senior Adoption Program allows for reduced adoption donations for senior citizens or for special situations approved by management. We also offer a special adoption rate for members of our military and veterans.

You will receive your adopted cat’s veterinary records and proof of vaccines at the time of adoption. You will need to bring a pet carrier to transport the cat away from the facility. If you do not have one, a cardboard one may be available for purchase.

Scroll down to complete an adoption application online.

Are there any adoption requirements?

Adoption Policies

• All cats must be spayed/neutered prior to adoption. If you are interested in a cat not yet altered, you can contact us to discuss pre-adoption.
• We have a policy of not allowing kittens to be adopted until they are three months old. Kittens under three months old are eligible for our foster-to-adopt program.
• WE DO NOT ADOPT TO ANYONE WHO PLANS TO DECLAW A CAT.
• Our cats are indoor cats. To ensure that our animals live safe, healthy, happy lives in their new homes, we will not approve applicants who plan to keep the cat outdoors.

The rescue may, at its discretion, contact the interested party to set up a home visit. BGAR reserves the right to decline any application for any reason. BGAR reserves the right to conduct follow-up well-animal home visits if deemed needed. BGAR reserves the right to reclaim animals from homes that are not providing proper care or mistreating the animals.

We reserve the right to deny any application for any reason to protect the welfare of our animals.

If for any reason you cannot keep a cat or kitten adopted from our rescue, you are legally required to notify Beare Garden Animal Rescue and return the feline to Beare Garden Plantation Animal Rescue.

About Our Cats

A Beare Garden Animal Rescue cat will be a rescued cat or kitten from primarily local and regional public shelters. Beare Garden Animal Rescue is a private rescue that receives no government funding, but relies solely upon charitable donations to operate 365 days per year. Our focus is to pull from public shelters to ease their overload and to facilitate the adoption to a loving forever family. A Beare Garden cat will be spayed or neutered prior to adoption. They are tested negative for FIV/feline leukemia, given their first vaccines, de-wormed, and observed and treated by local veterinarians for any other conditions they may have.

Our cats are socialized in a loving environment with other cats and plenty of humans. During an initial quarantine period they are kept caged in an isolation room until cleared by a veterinarian. After clearance, they are released into the rescue cattery area, which allows for more space to roam in our large enclosures. A future outdoor area is being planned when funding is available.

Surrendering a Pet

There are occasions that an owner-surrender animal or a stray will be accepted by Beare Garden Animal Rescue. Unless you are surrendering an animal adopted from BGAR, in which case we will take the animal back, we encourage you to attempt to re-home your pet if you must give it up, as this is easier on the pet and gives it a better chance of finding a good home. Taking your pet to the public shelter is more stressful and may not result in it being adopted into a home and may result in your pet being euthanized by the public shelter. If we accept an owner surrender, all vet records and vaccines must be provided. If current vaccines and vet records are not available, a minimum $150 donation is required. Owner surrenders are not automatically accepted. Unapproved drop-offs at the rescue are not allowed. Video surveillance of the rescue will record any unauthorized drop-offs.



Strays typically should be reported to your local public animal shelter for the mandatory 72- hour hold. The animal shelters we work with usually notify us if an adoptable animal needs to be rescued. Our ability to rescue depends upon space and resource availability. We do not typically accept feral animals as they may not be adoptable.

Advice for Settling your New BGAR Cat into your home

Our staff strongly urges you to try this approach when adopting a new cat. It reduces the stress on you, your family, and the cat. Cats that are not properly introduced can have behavioral problems so please take the time to give your cat the best start it can have.

Whether you’re bringing home your first, second or fifth cat, it’s extremely important to prepare ahead of time. Before making the decision to add a new cat to your household, please consider the following:

• Is your home large enough for all cats to have adequate territory?
• Are any of your current cats (if relevant) suffering from a chronic illness where the added stress of a new cat may cause further health problems?
• Are any of your cats already suffering from behavioral issues such as inappropriate marking?

Once you’ve carefully considered all the above factors and are ready to add a new feline family member, the following information will help ensure a smooth transition and integration with other family members and pets.

We are so happy you have adopted a kitty from Beare Garden Animal Rescue. We know you and your new kitty will have many happy years together. Here is some information to help you get started on a wonderful life together.

1. If you have any questions as you are settling in, please call or text Kathy H at 252-531-0453, Megan at 252-414-3965 or Kathy D 252-258-1892.
2. All our kitties have a name, but you can change their name to one of your liking. They may equally ignore any name you use.
3. You should have received your new kitty’s medical records and rabies tag, if not, please contact Kathy H.
4. Your new kitty has a microchip. Register your contact information with the microchip company as soon as possible. Beare Garden kitties must be indoor kitties, but sometimes they can be spooked in a new environment and get out an open door. Having your contact information registered with the microchip company makes it much more likely that your lost kitty will get returned to you.
5. If you already have cats in your household, introduce the new kitty gradually. You can find tips for introducing a new kitty at: Introducing another Adult Cat or Kitten to your Cat | International Cat Care (www.icatcare.org) and at: Introducing new cats to your home| The Humane Society of the United States (www.humanesociety.org)
6. Consider your current cat’s needs.
7. How much energy do they have?
8. What’s their experience with other cats?
9. Go slow.
10. Step 1: Separate the cats - Your new cat should be kept in a single room
11. Step 2: Create positive associations - The goal in this step is to show the cats that good things (like treats) happen when they see each other
12. Step 3: Supervised time together - Reward them with treats for any positive or neutral interactions.
13. Set the cats up for a positive relationship.
14. We love to get updates on how your new kitty is doing. Please text any updates and pictures to Kathy or Megan at the numbers above.
15. We feed the Beare Garden kitties IAMS Proactive Health Healthy Adult with Chicken dry food for the adult kitties and IAMS Proactive Health Kitten Dry Cat Food with Real Chicken for the kittens, those under one year. If you decide on a different brand, you may want to mix the two for a few days as you transition to the new dry food. At the rescue, our kitties get one serving of canned food a day. We use a variety of brands if you want to continue serving them wet food. Elderly kitties can get as much canned cat food as they want to help add additional moisture to their diet which helps with kidney health. You should not leave canned cat food out for more than 1-2 hours as it can spoil. Refrigerate what's left so you can feed it to your kitty later.
16. The vet Beare Garden uses is Dr. Worthington at Welcome Waggin’ (252)-746-1503. If you do not have a vet, Dr. Worthington is an excellent choice, but you can take your kitty to your vet of choice when checkups and medical attention are needed.
17. Some common house plants and flowers are toxic to kitties. See the article at: Common House & Garden Plants that are Toxic to Cats | Cordova Vet (germantownah.com). Notable poisonous ones are lilies, tulips and marijuana.
18. If it does not work out with your new Beare Garden kitty, we will take the kitty back. We will ask you some questions, such as making sure you have introduced new animals properly, or to make sure there have not been significant changes in the environment. We will try to help you get to the root of the problem so you can keep your Beare Garden kitty if you really want to, but if this does not work out, we will always take the kitty back.

Adopting the Right Cat for You

Jacque Lynn Schultz, C.P.D.T., Companion Animal Programs Adviser. National Outreach

The kids have been clamoring for a cat. You’ve held them off for as long as humanly possible, but now you must decide whether or not to make the twenty year commitment to a new feline friend. To dog people, taking on a cat seems like no big deal – no house training, numerous daily walks or obedience classes. But if you are a novice at animal care-taking, hair on the furniture, paw prints on countertops and kitty games at 3 A.M. — not to mention litter box training and daily maintenance — can take some getting used to. Time must be found in hectic schedules for grooming, feeding and interactive play. If you are considering adopting a kitten, factor in plenty of time for socialization and supervision to ensure that the end result will be a well-adjusted adult cat.

Picture Purrfect
Cats had only one function throughout the centuries: vermin control. Only in the last one hundred years has selective breeding caught on — synonymous with the rise of the cat as a companion. Most purebred cats fall into one of the following three groupings based on physical characteristics:

• The natural breeds — American and British shorthairs, Persians, Maine coon cats were developed in cold climates. They have long, thick coats; heavy, cobby (square) bodies, and are the most sedate group in terms of energy level.
• The semi-foreigns — Russian blues, Abyssinians, ocicats are an in-between group whose body shapes are leaner and more muscular than the natural breeds. They have slightly oval eyes and their heads are moderately wedge-shaped. Their activity level is usually moderate with some high-energy exceptions like the Abyssinian.
• The Orientals — Siamese, Burmese, Cornish rexes originated in warmer climes; they carry little body fat and lighter coats. Almost everything about them is elongated — legs, tails, ears and bodies — to allow more surface area for efficient cooling. These cats are the most active and talkative.

Still, less than 10 percent of the world’s cats, both in and out of shelters, are purebred. The majority — common house cats – have charmed their way into becoming the number-one most popular pet in the United States.

When you have made the decision to commit to a cat, hop on the internet and visit www.petfinder.com or head to your local animal shelter, where an array of felines resplendent in tabby stripes, calico patches, solids and tortoiseshell patterns awaits. The feline diversity residing in local shelters and rescue groups ensures you will find a kindred spirit. Many shelters vaccinate, de-worm and test for feline leukemia before putting up cats for adoption. Some shelters spay/neuter before adoption as well. Ask yours for specifics on what is included in the adoption package.

Searching for Mr. Right
Before facing cage after cage of homeless cats, consider your needs and expectations. If yours is a full-time working household, I recommend passing up kittens and adolescents (less than eighteen months old) in favor of a more low-key adult whose energy needs will be easier to meet. If you are a novice cat owner, stay away from “excessive” cats — excessively shy, aggressive or demanding — for they may provide too great a challenge for your first experience. Your best bet is the friendly, outgoing cat, who nudges an outstretched finger offered through the cage bars and who nuzzles and purrs when you hold him in your arms. This profile is a particularly good choice for families with children younger than seven years of age.

​Is coat color or pattern important? By all means, choose a cat who attracts you, but remember that the gorgeous calico hiding at the back of her cage may well go into prolonged hiding once she is released into your home. A cat who is social and relaxed at a shelter usually has the aplomb to meet the stresses that life throws her way. Consider the whole cat, not just one element.



​A cat in your life can add warmth, humor and peace of mind. A cat can teach your child empathy for others while keeping her secrets. If you can make the commitment, a cat is waiting to enhance your life in ways only a kindred spirit can.