Shailene Woodley Says Adopted Pets Deserve a ‘Grace Period’ Because ‘Relationships Take Trust and Patience’ (Exclusive)

Shailene Woodley knows nan attraction and comfortableness that must travel pinch being a pet parent to a caller furry friend.

The actress, 33, is helping raise consciousness for pet take during Mars' Global Adoption Weekend. In an exclusive question and reply pinch PEOPLE, she opens up astir uncovering a everlastingly location for animals and why a "grace period" is necessary, successful bid to let them clip to accommodate to their caller lives.

"When you bring an animal home, don't presume that it's going to beryllium instantly symbiotic — things return time, relationships return spot and patience. It's nan aforesaid measurement for animals and humans," Woodley says.

"Anyone successful a semipermanent patient narration knows patience, knowing and grace are required, and bringing location a shelter animal, location must beryllium a grace play too, of being diligent and knowing that this animal comes pinch its ain group of history and its ain life that it lived earlier you, and you travel pinch your ain history and life you've lived earlier it," she continues.

Adds nan Big Little Lies star: "That constitution of trust, of being slow pinch nan process of gaining their spot and giving your trust, I deliberation sets up a narration that will only ever beryllium productive and comforting for each of nan parties involved."

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Woodley has been an animal person her full life. The first pet she ever claimed arsenic her ain was a mini achromatic feline named Kitten that she adopted arsenic a teenager.

"She was nan best," nan Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe-nominated prima recalls of her feline friend. "This feline would play fetch, and she was playful and snuggly. I could clasp her successful immoderate position and she would conscionable purr. I was her person. She was perpetually attached to my hip."

"I conscionable retrieve astatine 16 years old, having nan work of her, and her alone, to provender her, to cleanable her litter box, to make judge she was hydrated, it felt for illustration an entranceway into adulthood, and it gave maine a consciousness of knowing that this animal was virtually limited connected me," Woodley adds.

"But past [there was] besides my dependency connected her and her greeting maine astatine nan door, aliases her being location erstwhile I'd travel location from school. I was besides moving full-time connected a TV show astatine that constituent successful my life, truthful knowing that I'd get to travel location and laic pinch her, it took distant immoderate teenage angst aliases worry I might've had," she continues.

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Woodley is presently a feline mom to 2 felines. "His sanction is Bear, her sanction is Pharrah, and it's nan first clip I've ever had related pets," The Secret Life of nan American Teenager alum tells PEOPLE. "And honestly, it feels for illustration a game-changer for them — and for me."

"When I'm astatine work, I'm not worrying if 1 of them is astatine location unsocial and lonely and conscionable waiting for maine to locomotion in. Knowing they person each other, to entertain and comfortableness 1 another, [is great]," she continues.

"The affection that they stock extends into nan affection that they stock pinch me, and nan affection I stock pinch them. And pinch them, I consciousness for illustration thing is possible," adds Woodley.

"I don't consciousness alone. I don't consciousness lonely anymore. I consciousness wholly taken attraction of, and there's thing to kick astir astatine each successful my individual life, because I person this unconditional emotion and affection from them," nan pet mom reiterates.

Woodley's first feline Kitten and each nan others she has had since person inspired her to ever adopt shelter animals — and she hopes to stock that mindset pinch others.

"So often these shelters are moving disconnected of donations from different people," she says. "I consciousness for illustration shelters and nan group who activity astatine them are unsung heroes."

Woodley has teamed up with Mars and Calm to raise consciousness for pet take for Global Adoption Weekend, which takes spot from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5. One shelter nan character is proud and excited to item is Animal Haven in New York City, which is holding an in-person take arena complete nan weekend.

"My dream is that people, sloppy of whether they take to adopt aliases not, are unfastened to visiting a shelter aliases to travel a friend aliases to person a speech aliases amended themselves more," Woodley says. "Using this play arsenic a muse for that opportunity conscionable feels important to maine to promote group to participate in, [because] you ne'er cognize [what mightiness happen]."

She adds: "I did not deliberation I was bringing 2 cats location nan time I brought 2 cats home, and I cannot ideate my life without them."