Abandoned animals are victims of economy too

Abandoned cats and dogs are filling shelters as families struggle to pay mortgages and bills and simply don't have enough left over to care for the family pet. A sad state of affairs.

Here's an article of what's happening at a Boston shelter: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/11/16/shelters_crammed_with_abandoned_cats/

The reasons might be eviction or foreclosure. The result is a heartbroken animal needing a new home. And a heartbroken family having to give their beloved animal to the shelter.

This shelter has waived the $75 adoption fee in the hopes of having some of the hundreds of cats adopted quickly. Such a sad situation that's being repeated across this country.

And I truly can't help wondering about the real commitment we make to our animals as soon as they enter our lives. It's not an obligation we can take lightly. What a painful double-edged sword for owners and pets.

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month

How about that?

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. What better way to brighten your own home, lift your spirits, and the life of an animal than by choosing to adopt an already trained, older companion animal?

Did you know that cats are considered senior at 7 years old? And dogs at 5? Pretty amazing but then older animals dietary and physical activity needs change early so it's important for pet parents to be attentive to any little changes in their lives, including the addition of birthdays.

I adopted 2 cats this year as carefully chosen companions for Maui. She was so terribly lonely with the loss of her brother. She's deaf and howled herself and us right up the wall. After contacting a wonderful rescue organization called Friends of Montgomery County Animals, I found O'Malley, a gentle orange tabby who was recovering from being hit by a car. My handsome orange boy did the trick. He became her fast four-legged friend who checked on her, tried to get her drawn into rather undignified playtime, and generally gave her incentive to get out of bed in the morning. A few months later, we adopted Clyde (2 y.o. ragdoll) to help O'Malley shower attention on Maui and be a romping playmate for O'Malley.

Maui is in cat Heaven now. She's got Clyde who she can snuggle up to at the storm door as they gaze out at the world and he piles into her cat bed to keep her warm. He cleans her face, rubs on her, and pays attention to her (including stealing her food!) Another kitty to give Maui reason to get moving each day.

This adoption story has a purpose. These 2 cats aren't old but they didn't have homes. We took them in, retrained, and enjoy them immensely. We've remedied a situation with Maui that was truly heartwrenching. She's a happy girl again. Our animals are literally the center of this household. Hey, they can't open cat food cans for themselves, can they? Must be that opposible thumb thing :)

Here's a link for elderly cat and dog care products that looks really comprehensive: http://www.seniorpetproducts.com/ Pretty easy name - won't be easy to forget.

And here's a link to an article about November being Adopt A Senior Pet Month: http://www.nwsource.com/shopping/pet-stuff/blog/november-adopt-senior-pet-month?cmpid=2342

Cheers!