You could be gazing at the animal of your dreams, but you just can’t tell what she’s thinking behind that furry face. What if you knew a little something about her personality and habits before you moved in together? The ASPCA’s Meet Your Match™ program wouldn’t let you go home without knowing who’s in that carrier or on that leash. MYM is the only method in existence today that evaluates an animal’s behavior and interests and matches them to an adopter’s preferences so that you take home a pet you can really click with.

FELINE-ALITY

Each adoptable cat is assessed based on level of interest in play, exploring, “talking,” and being the center of attention so that he or she can be placed into one of the nine color-coded “feline-ality” types that make up the Meet Your Match program. Green cats are savvy and adventurous, orange cats make the perfect companions and purple kitties are quiet, seek affection and stay out of trouble. The color is indicated on the cat’s kennel card, along with a short description, so you’ll know just who you’re dealing with in your quest for your dream kitty.

Let’s say you are looking to find the cat of your dreams. When you go to a shelter using the Feline-ality assessment, you’ll be asked to fill out a one-page Cat Adopter Survey—19 questions about your lifestyle and how you envision your cat fitting in to this lifestyle. Sound kinda fun? It is—think magazine quiz, not college application.

Your results will tell the shelter what your “color” is—green, orange or purple.

In a nutshell:

• Green adopters are most successful with cats who quickly adapt to new situations.
• Purple adopters are perfect for kitties who need time and encouragement to adjust to their new surroundings.
• Orange adopters are a good fit with the quintessential companion kitty.

P.S. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the kitties in the shelter know their true colors, too—so purple people meet purple felines, and then decide if they’re ready to paint the town…well, purple!

But don’t worry if you’d rather mix-and-match—adopters are not required to choose a cat with a particular feline-ality, and the assessment can prepare you for your new love’s response to her new home and help her adjust.