As I mentioned a couple posts back, I volunteer at the Nevada Humane Society. It’s a no-kill shelter that is overloaded with cats and dogs of practically every shape and size. We even have various rodents and bunnies.
My Humane Society is running a free adoption deal this weekend (starting Thursday) and it got me thinking about how much people might not know about shelters. So, here are some of my thoughts on the subject (prompted by replies to my notice about the adoption deal).
First of all, while I only know the specifics of my shelter, it’s easy enough to find no-kill shelters no matter where you are. And these shelters, because they keep their doors and hearts open to animals in need, are desperate for help, whether volunteering, donating, or even adopting one of the residents.
At my shelter, they try their best to give the animals a decent situation. I spend my time with the cats, so I don’t know about the dogs besides having seen the dog runs, but the cats work like this:
* Cats more likely to be adopted quickly (friendly and young) are in cages right at the front of the shelter area. Because of the huge number of animals, this means the hallways are lined with wire cages with cats of every shape and size, often pressing against the bars and meowing for attention (which as a volunteer, I happily give).
* Cats in the cat rooms are also in cages. These are ones that are less likely to be snapped up, but generally who haven’t been in the shelter for long and/or are under medical care. They range from those thrilled for attention to those more shy and retiring.
* Then there are the cat colonies. These are open rooms full of cat condos, climbing structures, pillows, chairs, and even sofas. Cats in these rooms are generally the long-termers. They roam free within the confines of their colonies, but must share their space with a good number of other cats. Generally the spaces are large enough that they can avoid each other when necessary, but minor spats do occur.
Face it. If you were a cat, what kind of life would you prefer? One in a household with people to curl up with, or one in a cage, or even a room where you have to deal with more than ten roommates?
In case you’re thinking that all shelter cats are strays and mutts, at our shelter we have Siamese, Russian Blues, Himalayans, tortoise shells, and many more types I can’t identify. My older sister came up for a visit and went home with a loveable “broken-point” Siamese just recently, and our latest cat, Dennis, is a flame-point Siamese from the humane society.
The other thing is that a commitment to an animal who will live anywhere from 12 to 18+ years might seem a bit hefty. If you plan to travel when you retire, it’s certainly more difficult with animals at home. And if you’re just starting out as a pet owner, maybe it’s a little nerve-wracking to predict the next 20 years of your life will be pet friendly. That’s a long time in anyone’s reckoning.
But a no-kill shelter has possibilities even under those circumstances. There are a lot of older animals who aren’t young enough or cute enough to get snagged within their first couple months. These are animals who would love to spend the rest of their days curled up next to you. Depending on their age and condition, they may be asking for as little as two years of your life in return for absolute devotion. Now taking on an older animal (and I’m going back to cats here because of my experience) may involve more expenses than a younger cat. They’re more likely to suffer from health problems, maybe not when you adopt them, but just like people, they have difficulties as they grow old. Maybe the time isn’t as long, but the energy may be higher, so make sure you’re up for the job.
Which brings me to my final note: Please, examine your situation, consider carefully, and choose well. There is nothing more disheartening than to see a cat returned to the shelter for whatever reason. And if you think the cats don’t care, think again. Returned cats, in my experience, tend to be withdrawn for a while, depressed just like a person would be if taken out of a tiny apartment to live in a palace, then shoved back into the tiny apartment.
For all that cats are independent and willful, they like human companionship. They like to curl up next to you when you’re relaxing, sit on your lap when you’re at the computer, or even just be in the room, or at your feet. They want to be with you. If you’re not ready for that, volunteer at a shelter. Get some time with the cats, and make sure you can handle the 3am wake-ups when they’re still adjusting to a human schedule as opposed to the nocturnal one in the shelter. Make sure if you get a talker that you’ll enjoy the conversation and not be frustrated by the noise. Just don’t take any animal home on a whim. Sure, it might work out, but if it doesn’t, imagine the rejection that animal might feel when you toss them back.
As a side note, all the pets at my shelter are chipped. This means that if your adopted pet is picked up again as a stray, the shelter knows and you may have lost the opportunity to adopt from them ever again.
I don’t want to end on a sour note. These animals need a loving home, and there’s nothing more exciting than to come in and see some of your favorites missing. I recently learned two cats I’d fallen for and would have taken home if I didn’t have a full house already were adopted:
* Kevin is a 10-year-old snowshoe. A huge cat who is blind in one eye and yet still manages to make you feel like the center of his universe. Gorgeous markings, wonderful personality, and yet he’d been in the shelter for a long time due to his age and blind eye. Now he’s off making someone feel special.
* Sam is a 3-year-old, broken-point Siamese who is tiny. He has a broad-based tail, and a poufy look to his short hair. When I met Sam, he was in one of the cat rooms. I opened the cage, an upper one, and he climbed right out onto my shoulder. No shy, retiring act for him.
I hope whoever too these guys home is as delighted in having them as I am in knowing they’ve not got families of their own. And As a treat, here’s mine:
This is Dennis, my flame-point Siamese from the Nevada Humane Society
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Our Seal Point Siamese, Natasha, came from a foster home. Most of the cats in this foster home were considered unadoptable for various reasons. Natasha had been there for two years. She had some known issues, which her foster mom shared with me. I thought I could deal with them, and now we both deal with them. Natasha has been with us for four and a half years, and she still has issues, but they have receded with time. She hardly ever bites anymore when she’s tired of our attentions. Maybe we’ve learned to tell when she’s done or maybe she’s more relaxed. She’s always liked people, but she could be unpredictable about when she’d want to be let loose. Her foster mom told me it was as if she regretted lashing out immediately after doing so, and I noticed that, too. Today, Tash is a warm, affectionate cat who’s still a little quirky, but I’m so happy we have her with us. Our lives would be poorer without her.
That’s wonderful, Jean. I still remember when we saw the woman who had Annabelle as a feral kitten (Furry Friends Rescue) a few months after adopting her, and she avoided us at first because she was sure we were bringing Annabelle back and she didn’t want to hear the bad news. We just wanted to tell her that Annabelle was already on her way to becoming a part of the family. Sure, she still holds to her more feral nature around strangers, and it’s been 8 years, but that doesn’t make us not love her.
After my elderly Shadow leaves me, I plan to head to the animal shelter to adopt another blind cat. I understand how to make a blind cat comfortable, but I suspect most people won’t take the trouble.
That’s great, Deb. Tash has something affecting her left eye that probably bothered some people. It doesn’t bother her, and apparently she can see fine, but you wonder when you look at her.
When I stop to think of it, vision problems for an indoor cat are probably one of the easier disabilities to live with. But knowing how to make them comfortable would be helpful. And you’re right, most people would look past a blind kitty.
I know I wouldn’t know the first thing about caring for a blind kitty. That’s great that you’re ready and willing to take one on :).
There are really only two major rules: don’t move the furniture very often (though he doesn’t seem to mind – he’s learned to slow down) and warn him before you go to pet him. I rub my fingers together as I reach down to him, and he’s perfectly happy. When he first went blind (and before I figured it out) he would cringe everytime I petted him, which upset both of us. But we have a system now, and most of the time you can’t tell that he’s blind.
Interesting and good points. The description of his reaction though makes me wonder about the eyesight of a couple of the shelter kitties. It’s like you come out of nowhere even when you approach them slowly and offer your hand for a sniff. Thanks for the insight.
I honestly can’t imagine not adopting from a shelter, I have for my last four cats. Sam was adopted as a 4 year old, the rest as kittens. I will say, while the shelter here is nice I will always love the East Bay SPCA in Oakland. While I was staying with you in Foster City I would go up there and volunteer regularly, and even after I moved to the south bay I would try and drop in when I could. It’s amazing what a little attention can do for some of these guys and it’s always wonderful when they go home!
http://i-ddb.com/pets/
I still can’t get over how much Bastian and Dennis look alike. If not for that stripe of white on Bastian’s nose, and the fact that Dennis is now SEVENTEEN POUNDS!…
All of ours were from some kind of rescue society except for Randy. But he would have ended up in one if we hadn’t adopted him because the guy’s landlord was pushing them to be gone.
I wish we could adopt a couple of cats. I’ve been a cat owner most of my life. But there is a financial commitment involved and as long as our employment picture is tenuous, I can’t justify doing so. Paul’s current job is a contract job, but we don’t know how long the contract is for. (sigh)
Hugs. That certainly makes it more difficult, but your time will come. And in the meantime, you might consider volunteering a couple hours a month to the shelter. Pretty soon they’ll all become your kitties and you’ll rejoice when someone gives them a permanent home :).