I volunteer every Thursday morning at a nearby animal shelter. My job is to clean up the cat room before the shelter opens for the public at noon. Imagine walking into a small room that contains three dozen dirty litter boxes and three dozen hungry vocal cats. Cory Booker, bless his heart, would maybe describe it as a delicious symphony of smell and sound, but I have to admit most mornings I think to myself, "why am I doing this? I have enough housework waiting for me at home." But my co-volunteer and I roll up our sleeves and get to work and the time flies, and by noon the cat room smells acceptable if a little antiseptic, the cats are fed, sleeping and purring and most importantly it seems a lot more likely that some of them will get adopted than it did when we arrived.
If you can afford it, please consider adopting an animal from a shelter. More reasons below.
The shelter gets a lot of stray cats. Some have clearly been on the streets for some time, they're thin and dirty, and seem almost relieved to get steady meals and a soft bed, even though it means giving up their freedom, which seems to bug the toms the most. Some are obviously recently lost pets, well fed and totally freaked out to be in the shelter - please, if you haven't already, microchip your pets, especially your cats. People tend to give their missing cats a lot of time to come home before they start looking for them, but most shelters can only hold an animal for 72 hours minimum before it's put up for adoption. Shelters and vets routinely scan for microchips now, and it's the fastest way to reunite you with your missing pet.
Of course the kittens get adopted first. They're adorable but we always do their cages last because they make such a mess. Kids! We had 2 big rounds of kittens this summer but they are still coming in and I asked a vet tech if that was normal. She said they've been seeing a 3rd round of October kittens more often over the last decade. Maybe global warming? Who knows ... but it means more pets that need homes! And more competition for the older cats, the poor things, which brings me to the reason for this diary.
The saddest cats are the ones marked "Owner Surrender." These poor cats did nothing wrong. They went from a loving home to a metal box at a shelter. We're seeing more and more of these. Young cats, old cats, bonded pairs, it runs the gamut. Rarely is a reason given other than "can't afford." The economic downturn is taking its toll on all of us. I'd guess half of the cats at the shelter today were given up by their owners. These poor cats tend to either hide under their blankets and refuse to eat, or they meow incessantly. Either way, you can sense their distress, and it's just heartbreaking.
I could have taken today off because my co-volunteer said she'd be happy to do the shift herself, but I wanted to go in. I've come to need to the good feeling I get helping out as much as the cats need some kind hand to pet them, some reassuring voice telling them that yes, they're a good kitty and everything's going to be okay, that maybe today someone is going to walk through the door and give them a new home.
So today I give thanks for the good people who run this shelter, and I give thanks for the opportunity to help them do it. And I urge you to consider adopting a shelter animal if you are thinking of adding a pet to your family!