Animal shelters are good source of finding different kinds of quality pet animals. Majority of shelters support homeless dogs and cats, whereas there are some that accept horses, mammals, and birds.
Types of animal shelters
- In shelters supported by local government, the police are responsible to bring abandoned animals
- Independent shelters depend on charities
- Some shelters are collaborated with national groups
- Non-profit organizations also help in finding homes for pets
Shelters differ in providing services, which will totally depend on their operating budgets. For example, the tax-supported shelters have low budget in comparison to charity based. In spite of, the budget difference every shelter has a dedicated staff working for the welfare of animals.
Adopting a pet is a very huge or you can say lifetime commitment. So before going to the shelter consider several aspects.
Aspects to consider
- Are you personally, emotionally, and financially prepared to take responsibility of new pet?
- Are you aware about the housing, health, and nutritional needs of this pet animal?
- What kind of pet are you considering to adopt?
- Do all your family members agree?
- Set guidelines set for feeding & grooming, discipline & training as well as cleaning up
- Have you pet-proofed your house?
Adoption process
- Fill an application
- Choose a pet
- Wait for 24 hours
- Sign a contract & pay fees
- Undergo trial period
Benefits of adopting pets from shelters
Dog or kitten adoptions from shelters have made people happy because they got an opportunity to save the wonderful animals life. If you are determined to adopt a cat from local animal shelter then there are several benefits.
- Less expensive – Buying from a pet shop is very costly but adopting one from shelter is much cheaper.
- Welfare – Overpopulation of cats gets reduced.
- Health – Generally, cats are neutered, vaccinated, and de-wormed, before they get adopted from the shelter. They are even micro-chiped, so you will not lose them. You may even get pet history from previous guardian of the pet or current history from the shelter.
- Sociability – Some shelters take steps to maintain the cat’s sociability with other animals and humans through different programs like summer getaway program.
- Training – Older cats are generally litter trained but are left because their owners may be unable or have some genuine reasons to leave them at the shelter. It is a wrong belief that old cats are left due to behavioral issues.
Kitten adoption needs a lot of understanding from your part like extra patience, guidance, and assurance. The kitten is small and may not be used to cage or other pet animal in your house. They miss their own territory and familiar things. Bonding with them is vital, when you bring them home. Play with and allow them to sleep in your room. Feed the kitten appropriate formula or solid food. Monitor its weight regularly.
Found Animals Foundation provides invaluable service to abandoned or homeless animals. They match animals with new loving owners. You can visit their website http://www.foundanimals.org/ and shop for your pet. Support them for a good cause!