Anyway, it is the month to adopt a shelter cat, they make wonderful and loving companions.
But remember, it's for life - cats can live to 20 years and more now with good care, so adopting one is a real commitment.
There's NOTHING more sad than a cat that's returned to a shelter just because...
- she bites (misplaced aggression? a child in the household tormenting the cat? lonely and needs a companion?)...
- she develops a manageable disease (diabetes? chronic renal failure? intestinal problems?)...
- she urinates outside the litter pan (urinary tract infection? sees a stray cat outside and gets stressed? your dog is terrorizing the cat and keeping her from the box? you don't clean the litterbox enough? you have one litterbox for 3 cats?)...
- she hides (did you assimilate her into the household properly? has she been to a vet lately to check for medical conditions? did someone abuse her?)...
- or my all-time favorite reason, WE'RE HAVING A BABY. What, you think the two are mutually exclusive? C'mon, that is NO excuse!
Trust me, I work for a cat vet, and I volunteer with Angel PAWS, and I've heard them all. Mostly, all those reasons are bogus, sorry. Would you return your kid for any of the above reasons?
And consider adopting an older cat. Kittens are adorable but they're destructive (if they're not, there's something wrong, LOL!) and it can take a couple years for them to grow out of that destructive phase. And, when they're very young, you can't always tell what their purrsonality will be - will she be a lapcat? Will she be talkative? Will she run the household? Will she be passive?
Older cats have developed their purrsonalities so it's easier to know how they'll be in your home. They've also been fully vetted as to shots, spaying and neutering, etc., so the upfront cost is WAAAY less than a kitten. And most older cats are so grateful to get out of that shelter that they will truly be your best friends for the rest of their lives.
And...if you're gonna adopt one...consider adopting two together, so they have companionship while you're out of the house. Two are as easy as one, trust me!
This is a scrapbook page I did for a challenge at ScrapbookFlair a while back, to commemorate an awareness day or month. The kit I used was ScrapbookFlair's free Pet Collection, created by member benjigirl.
And, as I say on the page, if you can't adopt, consider volunteering at your local shelter. They're ALWAYS in need of volunteers. Be aware, though, it's work you'll be doing, not just playing with the kittens or puppies! But there are other ways to volunteer than working a shelter shift - shelters need foster families, drivers for vet dropoffs/pickups, people interested in running/helping at fundraising events - there are a LOT of ways to help out!
And if you can't volunteer in person, please, please, PLEASE consider donating. Cash, litter, food, towels, beds are all needed. But contact the shelter first to see what their greatest need is - it may be different than what you think, or they may have specific food they like to feed or specific litter they use. You don't want your well-intentioned donation to go unused (that's why CASH is the best donation of all!).
