Not a lot of people choose to adopt a pet, mostly because they think that the process is complicated. This is simply not true—while most shelters and adoption agencies have policies regarding adoption in place, these are only enforced because they want to make sure the cats go to responsible pet owners.

Here are some of the steps that you will need to follow if you are interested in adopting a cat.

Assess your ability to care for a feline friend.

Most cats, when healthy and taken care of properly, can live up to 15 to 20 years. While cats are very independent, the cost of taking care of them can also be significant. You have to be prepared physically, emotionally, and financially to take care of a cat before you get started with the adoption process.

If you feel like you are ready for adopting a cat and taking it into your home, you can contact a local shelter or pet adoption agency in your area.

Most shelters and pet adoption agencies will require you to fill out an application form.

This will gather your details, information on your history with pets, and other relevant information. From this application, their administrators will determine whether you will be a responsible cat owner.

If you have made it through the initial screening process, the shelter or adoption agency will contact you to set a personal interview and arrange for a home visit.

This will further determine if you and your home are prepared for taking in a feline friend. The interviewer will also ask questions about your lifestyle to see if there’s room amongst the work schedule, gym membership and Game of Thrones addiction for a cat companion.

After you’ve completed these steps, you will be allowed to meet the cats at the shelter or adoption agency facility.

You will also be given a brief run-through on sharing your home with a new feline friend, and the characteristics of the cats up for adoption. You will find that there is an interesting variety of different cats and different personalities, and you will be sure to find one feline that will fit your home purrrrfectly.