Animal shelter visit yesterday

[sasvermont]

I went with a friend, to visit a shelter so that she might find a cat for her new, small apartment.

There were at least 80 cats there to select from and boy was it heart breaking at best! I wanted to bring home at least three of them and thought hard about it. I resisted, as I know I have reached my limit. The shelter was full of folks looking for pets, so I thought that was a good sign. I suspect more pets come in, than go out. Unfortunately.

My friend was rather vague about her decision about the cats she liked, so I left. I have not a clue as to whether she was really serious about getting a cat at this point and was getting frustrated about her not coming to a decision right away. I am like that. It's now or never type of person. Also, I had my dogster in the car with the a/c running and could not stay very long.

I just don't know how folks can give up perfectly good animals. I don't get it. Yes, I know there are circumstances that prevent one from having animals...ie nursing home, armed forces etc. etc. but really. I would try to find someone on my own. Many of the animals were strays. Some were in bad shape, fur wise but there were plenty ready willing and able to be taken home on the same day. They spay and neuter BEFORE you take them and build that into the price of the animal.

I didn't visit the dogs. Way too tempting. Prue would love a playmate. I am not sure she would like to share the big bed or her food with another dog. She would like to play with one, I am sure.

My heart goes out to all the pets that sit in shelters. I promise, IF I ever want to get another cat or dog, I will go to a shelter. My pets usually live such long lives, that I doubt if I will ever get more pets. We shall see.

Well, I guess the next best thing to adopting is donating. So please donate to your local shelter. I am sure they all could use a few bucks to ease the crowding.

It will takes me weeks to get over the visit. Really.

[katladyd]

I do not go to shelters unless I am there to adopt one myself. I have gone with people who end up going home without adopting and it makes me furious!!!! When I am in the position to get another cat, I am at my limit now also, I will definitely go to the shelter and adopt one. There are some wonderful furbabies there just begging for a home.

[cassiesmom]

Every time I visit Harmony House I want to bring all the kitties home! Harmony House is no-cage, no-kill and they have a good group of regular volunteers that care for the cats-- including playing, petting, scritchies and lovies. That makes it much easier for me to go there.

When I go to Petsmart I have a route to the cat department that avoids the room where the adoptable kitties are. If I look at them I want to bring them home with me.

[Taz_Zoee]

Every time I visit Harmony House I want to bring all the kitties home! Harmony House is no-cage, no-kill and they have a good group of regular volunteers that care for the cats-- including playing, petting, scritchies and lovies. That makes it much easier for me to go there.

When I go to Petsmart I have a route to the cat department that avoids the room where the adoptable kitties are. If I look at them I want to bring them home with me.

The shelter where I volunteer only has cages in the back. When the animal is up for adoption they are in a nice "condo". And the only way I could work there is that it is a no-kill shelter. Volunteers go in daily and just sit with the dog or cat and play with it or read books to it. The dogs get walked regularly as well.

At my PetSmart the cat adoption area is way on the other side of the store. I only have a problem when I take the dog to get groomed. It is right next to the grooming department.

Well, my friend that is adopting a kitty from my shelter should be going today to get her little girl! (I had posted a thread about URI's the other day) I'm so excited for her. I just hope she gets there in time and someone else doesn't snag her up. She is a cute teeny little Snowshoe mix (thats what she's listed as). She basically looks like a siamese with white toesies.

[mrspunkysmom]

I went with a friend, to visit a shelter so that she might find a cat for her new, small apartment.

My friend was rather vague about her decision about the cats she liked, so I left. I have not a clue as to whether she was really serious about getting a cat at this point and was getting frustrated about her not coming to a decision right away.

When I went to the Animal control Open House for their new facilities, I met a lady that was looking for a cat. She had to have an exact replica of a previous cat. It was frustrating. You don't want people to take a cat they don't want, but that's putting a lot of pressure on the cat, too, when the new owner expects a different behavior from it.

I just don't know how folks can give up perfectly good animals. I don't get it.

I don't get it either. Throw away pets. That's how I ended up with Jane 2 years ago, and now Emily and Bob. They were being thrown away.

I do go see the kitties at PetSmart, but since I have Emily and Bob now, I don't stay as long.

I had a nice visit at ACS but it was heart wrenching to see all those lonely kitties.

[IRescue452]

Unfortunately, cats breed like cats; which is worse than rabbits. And so many people are willing to share their homes with unspayed female cats. I don't know how anybody does it. When my mom first adopted Pixel and she wasn't spayed she drove us nuts for weeks until the appointment. We weren't sure if her last owners had her spayed or not until her annoyingness answered the question. I know somebody who had 6 unspayed females. How does anyone do it? I don't think too many cats get adopted either. People give kittens away for free by the dozens. That's a whole lot more motivation to the average person than spending money adopting. In my area, they have free or discount adoption days for cats all the time just to try and move them to homes before they're put down. I don't know how anybody gives up their animals like a piece of used furniture though. People are heartless.

[tokolosh]

I don't get it either. Throw away pets.

I had to look for an apartment several years ago in my city, and guess what the landlords' number one showstopper was? No pets. It took me months of hunting and some serious other concessions to find a place that would allow us to have Limpet - and he went and changed his mind/forgot his original willingness anyway just this summer. If she hadn't happened to die just before he did it, I could be one of the people you're being so unthinkingly contemptuous of here.

It's easy to say things like this but I sometimes think people maybe don't try very hard to get it before they get on the blame. I guess it eases the way we all feel when we see a shelter full of cats, but imo it's unfair to many perfectly serious, dedicated pet owners who find themselves looking at difficult realities and having to make hard choices about them. Fact is, modern city life isn't really geared anymore to let people make room in their lives for their pets. Cats in particular here, for some reason. I've encountered landlords who were prepared to allow some kind of dog, but not a cat.

[chocolatepuppy]

tokolosh, I seriously doubt shelters are full of cats because someone had to give them up for a good reason. Maybe a few of them, but not most.

Anyways, I got three of my last four dogs from the shelter. Didn't bother me too much because I knew one was coming home with me. As for my cats, when I recently adopted my cats Angel and Tessa, the rescue inside Petsmart made it very easy. I really didn't want to go near the dogs at the shelter, I would want one and two is my limit right now.

[tokolosh]

tokolosh, I seriously doubt shelters are full of cats because someone had to give them up for a good reason. Maybe a few of them, but not most.

I guess it depends how you define a good reason, really. And it probably also depends a lot on the region. The major ones here seem to be 'moving and not allowed pets' and 'cat not happy since baby was born'. Sometimes 'new work demands; can't care for it properly anymore'. The thing is, a lot of these factors really aren't as much under most people's control as it might seem. Not every move or every change in job conditions is made for selfish reasons. A lot of them aren't even 100% voluntary. For instance, the only way anyone can absolutely permanently guarantee not being in the 'have to move' position is if you owned your own freestanding, one-family house outright. That way it would be your call alone and no landlord or strata council could change the game-plan on you, and you'd never have to trade down to meet a cheaper mortgage. As for the 'new baby' thing - well, I don't know. It seems really draconian to say 'you can't ever have kids once you get a cat in case it doesn't work out', but once you're in the situation, what do you do? You can't give the baby back. Doesn't mean you didn't try to pre-think things, or that you give the cat up lightly.

I agree you have to think hard before you take on a pet. And there are a lot of 'hidden' responsibilities that you should know about and be honest about before you do it. But a lot of the time you just don't know what might be coming at you. A lot of people do do that thinking and make that decision in the best possible faith, and then find themselves gotcha'd in spite of it. These are pretty uncertain times.

To be truthful, I've never given that much thought to it. I've got different things to walk around 'just not getting' most of the time But I'm a bit surprised at the hostility towards people whose pets end up in a shelter. I would have thought if you do have to let a pet go, that would be the most responsible option around and might even deserve a shred of credit. I wouldn't trust myself more than I'd trust the SPCA to screen out potentially unqualified adopters for instance, and it sure beats just dumping them.

[mrspunkysmom]

If she hadn't happened to die just before he did it, I could be one of the people you're being so unthinkingly contemptuous of here.

...... Fact is, modern city life isn't really geared anymore to let people make room in their lives for their pets. Cats in particular here, for some reason. I've encountered landlords who were prepared to allow some kind of dog, but not a cat.

I wasn't being contemptuous. It was a statement. I don't get it. I didn't treat the lady mean when I took Emily and Bob and I don't think ill of her. She explained her reasons. She was being sort of responsible up to the point she threw an indoor cat outside. She did ask for help at least from me afterward. Her rationale is something I do not understand. I didn't argue with her, because she had made a decision that her life would be better this way.

I wouldn't abandon my pets. I have given some away when circumstances weren't good and I tried my best to make sure it was a good fit.

I think it is about choices and responsibility. I've never had to make the choice between a child and an animal, so I can't speak to that, but I can speak to being unemployed and bad times. Back then I switched to a store brand food and Spunky was sick with kidney stones 3 weeks later. Eating popular food makes him throw up now. He won't eat it unless I give it to him now. Back to the kidney stones. I found a way to stretch my money so he could get some good food. It was either that or give him up. And I couldn't be sure the new people or shelter could or would spend the money to keep him healthy.

I think people decide what is important. And pets take a low priority position. Sometimes children do too. I know a lady that bought accessories for her cell phone that I gave her but she couldn't buy the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal.

I think emotions run high here because most of us are on the receiving end of throw-away pets. I am at my personal limit and so are my two "oldest" kitties. Others will adopt more. I donate food and money.

As for apartments and kitties versus dogs: I've always found that cats and small dogs are allowed. They create less mess. And dogs require and impressive amount of time.

I think some of this is that times are hard and people (bosses, landlords, etc.) don't feel the need to be nice anymore. Are there some landlords that won't allow pets at all. Yes. I just don't think it's that prevalent. However, pet deposits for rentals have gone through the roof. And that can be a factor for some people.

Again it's about choices. You make the choice to keep the pet, develop a relationship, etc. At least surrendering the animals saves the animal from suffering on the streets.

[tokolosh]

I think emotions run high here because most of us are on the receiving end of throw-away pets.

Yeah, I think that's true. And it's completely understandable. I get the same overwhelmed, emotional, pressured feeling when I go to shelters and see them all. You feel helpless. But when I think about it more carefully, I realise most people didn't create the cats that they give up or 'throw out'. My impression is that most relinquishing owners didn't even passively 'allow' them to be created, in the sense they weren't the ones who were personally responsible for spaying or neutering the parents, and didn't do it. They just took on a cat that already existed and would have existed whether they'd done it or not. Often kind of against their will, because it was a cat that needed a home and they felt they 'had to' do something.

These people do what they can, for as long as they can, but sometimes they can't do it for the length of a cat's life. And yes it's true - sometimes they just decide they don't want to anymore. It still seems kind of arbitrary to me to harsh out on those people, really. Why not get harsh on the ones who don't own cats, never want to own cats, and don't intend to ever make changes in their lives that would make room for a cat? At least the first group of people provided a home and some care for PART of that cat's life. I don't know if that's better or worse, frankly. But if you get too doctrinaire about it all, it seems to me like you end up alienating or intimidating even those people who were willing to try. It's not fair to lump them all in as 'throw away' owners. The real issue is a) there are too many cats and b) there aren't enough people whose lives have room for a cat. To me, those are systemic issues more than individual ones.

Failing to spay or neuter, and/or spending fortunes to buy designer kittens from breeders when there are so many cats already here that need homes - those are my two 'don't gets', I guess. And when I say 'don't get' it's just a euphemismistic way of saying I don't think it's okay and I can't personally think of any reason that might change my mind. For all I know there is one and I just haven't come on it yet, and my judgemental attitude is just ignorant. But that IS creating more cats, or feeding a dynamic that creates more cats.

As for apartments and kitties versus dogs: I've always found that cats and small dogs are allowed.

It really isn't true here, im cat-owning opinion. You could probably get away with saying you smoke more easily than you could with having a pet, with some of the people around here - because they can tell you to do that outside. And dogs are heavily in fashion in this city (which I think is a major mistake in itself, given the constraints of city life and the kinds of stuff a dog needs). So people are more prepared to accept dogs partly because they're dog-friendly themselves and more disposed to empathise with a dog-owner's feelings. Plus they don't think of dogs as destructive. They do see cats that way. Cats pee on things. Cats scratch stuff. And besides, cat people are loopy. I'm giving you the prejudices there

I think some of this is that times are hard and people (bosses, landlords, etc.) don't feel the need to be nice anymore. Are there some landlords that won't allow pets at all. Yes.

Very true. But I do think it's prevalent. The whole of North America is going for a dive, if you read the papers Things trickle down and and around in all kinds of ways that aren't easy to trace.

You make the choice to keep the pet, develop a relationship, etc. At least surrendering the animals saves the animal from suffering on the streets.

Sure. And down the line you find yourself faced with a different set of choices - and you don't have any choice about having to choose for that second or third or fourth time. I understand what you're saying and I did it too. But I've been there where it's genuinely hard, and I wouldn't judge someone else for making a different call.

[chocolatepuppy]

I guess it depends how you define a good reason, really. And it probably also depends a lot on the region. The major ones here seem to be 'moving and not allowed pets' and 'cat not happy since baby was born'. Sometimes 'new work demands; can't care for it properly anymore'. The thing is, a lot of these factors really aren't as much under most people's control as it might seem. Not every move or every change in job conditions is made for selfish reasons. A lot of them aren't even 100% voluntary.

I agree you have to think hard before you take on a pet. And there are a lot of 'hidden' responsibilities that you should know about and be honest about before you do it. But a lot of the time you just don't know what might be coming at you. A lot of people do do that thinking and make that decision in the best possible faith, and then find themselves gotcha'd in spite of it. These are pretty uncertain times.

I'm not a child and am fully aware of the twists and turns of life. Been there done that, more than once. With pets in tow.

I wouldn't abandon my pets.

I think people decide what is important. And pets take a low priority position.

I think emotions run high here because most of us are on the receiving end of throw-away pets.

100% agree!

[luvofallhorses]

People are full of excuses giving up their pets. Some I WILL give an exception for, such as the dog or cat being in danger of being hurt or being dumped.. I work at a shelter, I see people dump their pets EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. and it's heart-breaking. We have had cases of dogs being tied or thrown over our back fence at the shelter or kittens and mom in a box duct-taped shut on the front door.

Most of the cats we get in are not owner turn ins, they are strays same as the dogs. For me, it depends on the reason but I could never give up my pets they will go everywhere we go when we move or whatever but we are never moving so there is no reason for us to give them up. I understand nobody is perfect, but pets are for life.

I could see in some situations if a person is in danger in a domestic relationship and they need to give up their pets and go to a shelter. That I will give an exception for but atleast 80% of people make up lame excuses..

Also - I personally like all the dogs and cats at the shelter I work at. They each have unique personalites and I love working with them. Miagi & Tiger my cats were rescues and my dogs Dixie and Rudy were rescues as well and I am blessed to have them. Buster my hound was not a rescue, we got him before I got into rescue though and Angel my other cat wasn't a rescue either she was in a free ad but I am happy to have them in my life too.

[tokolosh]

I'm not a child and am fully aware of the twists and turns of life. Been there done that, more than once. With pets in tow.

I don't feel safe ever saying I'll 'never' do something. It's far too easy for me to imagine myself standing in just about anyone's shoes

[chocolatepuppy]

I don't feel safe ever saying I'll 'never' do something. It's far too easy for me to imagine myself standing in just about anyone's shoes

It seems you like a good disscussion. I don't. I come here to enjoy myself. I NEVER said NEVER. Only saying I'd go the extra mile to keep my pets. Many do not, therefore, shelters are full of animals being PTS every day. Satistics prove that, I don't need to discuss it.