Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: indescribable
  • Music: Glee, "Rio/Hungry Like the Wolf."

Free Adoption Days: today and tomorrow.

Today and tomorrow, PetSmart is hosting their Free Adoption Days, on which pet adoption fees are waved for qualified applicants (ie, you have a pulse, a home, understand how not to starve an animal to death, and seem even halfway-corporeal, because we have way too many animals in need of homes). The PetSmart near me, in Concord, California, currently has some absolutely beautiful cats looking for their forever homes. One, Regent, is terrified enough to be hiding in his litter box. Another, Junebug, has already had her adoption fee reduced twice, but as an all-black cat, her odds aren't great.

Cats wind up in shelters for a lot of reasons, and very few of them are "because s/he was a bad cat." People lose their jobs, or move away and don't take their pets. Kids leave for college. People die. People lose the wherewithal to feed themselves, much less an extra, meowing mouth. And in all of these cases the cats, who have no idea what's going on, wind up suffering for it.

Amazing cats come from shelters. Adult cats who don't need to be trained; kittens who have all the world in front of them. Cats whose personalities are already plain when you meet them, making it so much easier to find the right cat for you. Cats who need you.

I've been very upfront about why none of my current cats are from shelters, and why my lifestyle and emotional needs are better met by reputable breeders. But if you don't fall into this category, and feel that there might be a cat-shaped hole in your life, go and take a look at your local shelter.

This post brought to you by the California Dammit Why Can't I Take Junebug Home Oh Yeah Alice Would Kill Her To Death Committee.
Tags: cats
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  • 153 comments

estelendur

June 10 2012, 14:55:38 UTC 5 years ago

Those who can't get a cat for whatever reason (frex, my family is allergic) should consider not only shelter dogs, but rescued greyhounds who've been retired from racing. They're sweet, sweet dogs; usually, the person fostering them to get them used to houses instead of kennels will be able to tell you their quirks and difficulties; they have short hair and aren't as allergenic as many other dogs; and ours, at least, doesn't bark or jump or lick (which are, for us, plusses).

If they aren't taken in by a rescue organization, they're euthanized once they retire (or bred and then euthanized), which is a damn shame since the main problem many of them have as potential pets is not being able to tell the difference between cats/small dogs and, er, prey - oh, and the fact that you're usually getting them in the middle of their expected lifespan, which, them being big dogs, is sadly short.

*greyhound evangelist*

ext_209138

June 10 2012, 19:59:56 UTC 5 years ago

There's a nursing home near my father who have adopted five greyhounds over the years as live-in pets for the residents. In fact, several of them went on to become certified therapy dogs, too. (It was actually seeing that, that prompted my father to start taking one of my retired guide dogs to the hospital he worked at, which may or may not have been a good thing as most of his patients then ended up giving her portions of their dinners...)