Have a Home for a Few Million Cats?
June is “Adopt a Shelter Cat” Month, and I implore anyone who has the time, resources, energy and love to devote to a cat to consider opening their hearts and homes to a feline (or two!) in need. Shelters are overflowing with cats of every stripe—from frisky kittens to loyal “lap cats.”
(c) Kencredible
As The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights points out, this is because breeders insist on cranking out more litters, pet shop owners know that they can make a buck by selling kittens and too many people don’t consider the consequences of not having their cats (or the ones they’ve been feeding by the back door) spayed or neutered.
On any given day, the number of stray and surrendered cats who pass through animal shelters’ doors far exceeds that of the people who are qualified and willing to give them homes. This leaves shelters in the heartbreaking position of having to euthanize many cats in order to accommodate the newcomers.
Adopting is important, but in the end, it’s like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teaspoon. We can bail for all we’re worth, but the ship is going to go down anyway unless we plug the hole in the bottom. Preventing more cats and dogs from ending up homeless in the first place, by passing mandatory spay/neuter legislation and restricting breeding, is the solution.
Read the entire article on Huffington Post.
