LOL exactly. I’m not too keen on being treated like a criminal by the self-righteous “adoption”/”rescue” agencies, or the shelters (we used to call them POUNDS) that have become that way.
When I was a kid that kind of thing didn’t exist. Pretty much you wanted it you got it. Now they are as bad as the most arrogant breeder. And cost about as much.
This is mostly why I’m asking to find unassuming cat owners who happen to have litters, or maybe an elder cat to give away. I don’t need a fancy cat (unlike a dog), just one who seems nice.
Maybe I’ll also put out a notice to my aunt at her farm. She gets cats dumped on her all the time - and often keeps the girls for barn cats. They are almost always super nice, especially for girls. If she gets any boys, she can call me. (She’s 2 hours away.)
That language about inspecting your house is in all the documents; I’ve never known them to actually do it. They probably have it in there in case they suspect that you aren’t adopting for the right reason; generally they are very glad to place the cats and don’t give you any trouble. (But, again, I’ve never gone to a pound, just to a volunteer rescue.)
In our case, they encouraged us to also adopt the brother of the cat we really wanted, to not separate them. (They admitted that the two fought a lot, and told us that if it didn’t work out, they would take one or both back.)
Everything worked out. There’s an occasional snarl and hiss and running-around; but these are the nicest most loving cats we’ve ever had.
The pet "rescue" stuff has become a big business and is causing a bunch of problems. Avoid! They're crazy. Google something like dark side of animal rescue and there are countless explanations of how these people are actually supporting puppy mills with donated dollars. Those crazy people have no sense.