Her story so far
Begin with how she arrived. A cat surrendered after an owner's death, a stray with no past, and a cat returned after a previous adoption are three very different adoptions, and the shelter's honesty here helps you rather than puts you off. Ask her estimated age and how it was judged, how long she has been with them, and whether her behaviour in the shelter has changed over that time — a cat who has relaxed week by week is showing you a trajectory, while one who is shutting down needs a faster move and a quieter home. Ask directly what they would tell a friend adopting her; the answer is often the most useful minute of the visit.
Health, in specifics
Request her veterinary file, not a summary of it. Ask what examinations, blood work, vaccinations, and dental assessments she has had, what was found, and what follow-up the shelter's vet recommended. Ask about current conditions being managed — kidneys, thyroid, joints, teeth — what she is receiving for them, and how she tolerates handling and medication, because a treatment you cannot give is a plan that fails. Ask about litter habits in her pen, appetite across her stay, and any recent weight change. If screening has not been done, budget for a senior work-up with your own vet in her first weeks and say so; a good shelter will be glad to hear it.
Food, routine, and the small print of her day
Find out exactly what she eats — the food itself, its texture, the amount, and the schedule — plus the treats she accepts, so her first week at home tastes familiar while everything else changes. Ask what litter and tray style she uses, where she sleeps, whether she hides from visitors or supervises them, and how she has reacted to other cats, dogs, children, and carriers. Ask what frightens her and what settles her. These details sound minor in the shelter office and turn out to be the whole first month at home, because an older cat's confidence rests on familiar food, familiar litter, and a predictable order to the day.
The practical arrangements
Clarify what the adoption includes, what support the shelter offers after you take her home, and whether there is a settling-in or return conversation if serious problems emerge — asking this is responsible, not uncommitted. Get every record in writing or by email before you leave: medical history, microchip details to transfer, and feeding notes. Arrange her first veterinary visit in advance, set up one quiet room at home before collection day, and plan the journey with a secure carrier lined with bedding that smells of the shelter.
Giving her history a permanent home
The saddest loss in a senior adoption is information: diagnoses, preferences, and hard-won knowledge of what works for her, scattered across shelter paperwork and memory. Pull it together in her first week while it is all still in front of you. That is exactly the move KinsLe's Transferrable Profiles is built for — her profile passes to you as her new owner with her history, records, and routines intact, so the next chapter of her care starts from everything the shelter knew, not from a blank page.