My Machine Learning Model Wants You to Adopt a Cat

You ever wonder what happens to animals at a shelter? Well, I did. And like any normal person, instead of just asking someone, I built a machine learning model to predict it.

Introducing my latest project: A machine learning app that analyzes seven years of shelter data from Long Beach and predicts whether an animal will be adopted, transferred, returned to an owner, or… well, the outcome we don’t like to talk about.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Did you do this out of sheer curiosity, or are you trying to justify getting another pet?” To that, I say: Both things can be true.

The app lets you pick an animal type, intake conditions, and other factors, then predicts its fate with cold, calculating machine logic. ?? Cat brought in as a stray? Probably getting adopted. ?? Older dog surrendered by its owner? Might take a little longer. ?? Exotic bird? Who even brings exotic birds to shelters?!

Of course, no algorithm can replace human compassion (yet). The real goal here isn’t just prediction—it’s understanding shelter trends and maybe even helping shelters improve adoption rates through better data insights.

If you want to check it out (or prove my AI wrong), the app and code are open-source: ?? [GitHub Link]

Also, if you’re considering adopting a pet… go do that instead of reading this post.