Cats, misunderstandings and lack of knowledge in the destination of animals in shelters: Literature Review.Abandoned cats are exposed to many kinds of ill-treatment, like and poisoning, and suffering, like hunger, isolation and rejection by humans. Many of these animals are taken to private or public shelters by volunteers and municipal officers.In general, in a shelter-like environment there are a high number of animals, scarce environmental, sanitary and feeding resources, inadequate handling and risk of social interactions that may compromise the welfare of sheltered cats. The evaluation of socialization spectrum of cats taken to shelters can be an important tool for initial screening and choosing of appropriate disposition track -adoption or resocialization programs, permanent housing, return-to-field or euthanasia of these animals. In Brazil, there are no records of technically based assessments considering behavior, communication and interaction levels of domestic cats in shelters. In other countries, when this analysis happens, it is usually done by using well-established stress assessment tools, in individual cage housing. In order to carry out adoption, adult cats collectively held in public shelters or in non-governmental organizations should be evaluated regarding their socialization, thus minimizing the risk of re-abandoned of those cats with a more fearful, withdraw behavior or living with a low degree of well-being. In the literature review, no evaluation instruments were fond for adoption programs of adult cats where the socialization of the animals was the central point of the screening. The existence of this instrument could facilitate the destination of felines rescued from abandonment to different programs of adoption, resocialization or definitive maintenance in restricted, controlled environments and with the employment of environmental enrichment.Key words: feline behavior, cat adoption, animal welfare, and socialization of adult cats.Resumo. O abandono de gatos os expõe a maus tratos como envenenamento e a sofrimento como, a fome, o isolamento, e a rejeição, por parte dos humanos. O resgate de muitos desses animais ocorre por voluntários e servidores municipais que os conduzem a abrigos privados ou públicos. Em geral, nesses ambientes, encontramos um elevado número de animais, escassez de recursos ambientais, sanitários e alimentares, manejo inadequado e riscos de convívio social que comprometem o bem-estar dos gatos alojados. A avaliação do grau de socialização de gatos recolhidos em abrigos pode ser uma ferramenta importante para triagem inicial e destinação a programas de adoção, ressocialização, manutenção permanente, devolução à comunidade de origem ou a eutanásia desses animais. No Brasil não há registros na literatura de que ocorra alguma avaliação tecnicamente embasada considerando o comportamento, comunicação e expressão do gato doméstico nesses locais. Em outros países, em geral, essa análise, quando ocorre, se dá através do emprego de instrumentos de avaliação de estresse e em am...