'Feline-ality' test matches pets, owners

FRESNO, Calif. -- Be honest: Do you like your cat?

For some people the honeymoon with their new cat is over within days -- and that's why the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has started to give its cats a personality test.

The test is known as "Meet Your Match: feline-ality."

"Are you looking for one that will sit down with you, or do you want one that will jump up and play with you?" said Beth Caffrey, volunteer coordinator for the Fresno, Calif.-based SPCA. "It will make people think about what they want."

There are nine personalities, ranging from the shy, quiet and loving to playful, adventurous and downright crazy. Cats are assessed by shelter workers based on their behaviors and interests. Then, by using a questionnaire, shelter employees try to match an owner's preferences with the cat's behavior.

For example, Sheetrock, a shelter mascot, displays rambunctious

"party animal" traits.

Brooks, another of the shelter mainstays, is Sheetrock's opposite -- a low-key, somewhat shy "private investigator."

Prospective cat owners who come to the shelter or SPCA adoption site in a pet store are asked to fill out a 16-question survey to identify the type of cat they want to adopt.

When potential owners go through the "cattery" portion of the shelter, the personality types are shown with purple, orange and green cards that represent the personality types.

While owners will probably learn more about what they want in a companion, the program also plays a more important role for shelters.

The Fresno SPCA has a return rate of about 25 percent for cats, which means one of every four cats taken home is returned to the shelter,

Caffrey said.