|
There are many people with pets in the United States. In fact some studies show that more money is spent on the care of our pets than the care for children in other countries. Our pets are an important part of the family; unfortunately not everyone acts responsibly when it comes to choosing a pet.
There are many unwanted pets that end up in shelters, pounds or animal foster homes. It is important to consider looking at the dogs and cats for adoption if you are considering adding a pet into your life. For years I have had cats. When I was growing up we lived on a farm. We had barn cats and also a house cat. When my husband and I bought a small hobby farm when we were first married we inherited a mother cat with kittens. We kept a kitten and gave the mother cat and the rest of the kittens to a farmer. As this kitten grew we discussed getting a second cat to keep it company because we were gone so much during the day. We were going to watch the papers for free kittens, but a friend of mine suggested looking at the adult cats for adoption at the local humane society. She had recently gone to the humane society and was saddened by the number of cats for adoption that were sitting in their cages.
I have always feared that an adult cat would have behavior problems, or would not adjust well to a new situation. I also feared that bringing in another adult cat with the cat we had would cause problems. We went to the humane society to see what they had available and to discuss our concerns with the workers. I was very pleased with how much information they had on each animal. When we explained our wants and needs there were a number of the cats for adoption that they told us would not fit in well with another cat, but they also had us meet some cats that they thought would fit well into our home. I did not realize that the humane society took the time and effort to make sure the matches were good ones between the animals and owners. The woman helping us explained that they wanted the next home for the animals to be permanent, so they took extra care in making sure the person adopting the pet was aware of the animal’s needs. She explained that many of the dogs and cats for adoption came to them from families that did not understand the life long commitment that needs to be made to an animal that is brought into the home. They see a cute small kitten in the pet store at the mall, and do not stop to think that this animal could be with the family for fifteen years. While we were at the shelter we met and adopted a beautiful Siamese, whose first owner needed to go into the nursing home. He has been a wonderful addition to our household. I strongly suggested considering the dogs and cats for adoption as a possibility for your next pet.
|
