I am typing this with the fingers of one hand because my super affectionate cat is lying across the rest of me. I thought I would weigh in on how we found him in case you are looking for this type.
I searched on line for months - especially using petfinder.com. Some animal shelters and rescue societies put very detailed descriptions of the animals on line but not all. We went to visit numerous places and didn't find the affectionate cat we were looking for at any of them. One night I saw a really good prospect at a shelter about a half hour away. I emailed the director and explained exactly what kind of personality and temperment we were looking for and why. (DD had been through numerous deaths in the preceding months - grandpa, 2 dogs and a cat. We still had a 15 year old dog who wouldn't be lasting much longer so we needed just the right animal.) The shelter director agreed that the cat I saw online could be a good match but suggested another one that didn't appear on line. Apparently she had found him abandonded near a ferrel cat colony and decided that she was going to hand pick the right family for him. He was not advertised anywhere - she would know the right family when they came in.
When we walked into the cat room - easily 30+ cats walking around - this one long haired black cat started following us around. When we sat down he was instantly in my lap. After a while I moved him aside so we could meet the cat I saw on line. He just sat there staring at us the whole time as if to say "Hello! Yoo Hoo! Over Here!" As soon as the second cat jumped down he was back in my lap kneading my legs and purring. He KNEW we were his family, as did the director. It took us a little while for it to sink in.
So if you are seeking a cat with a specific personality and temperment be sure to communicate that to the shelter staff and try more than one place if you can, There were a few places who really tried to get us to bring one home because they are just so in need of placing the animals. While I felt bad not taking each and every one I am so glad we waited and got just the right pet with exactly the personality and temperment we were looking for.
Good luck - and I think having your ds spend time in the shelters is a brilliant idea!
