Adopt a Furry Valentine, Suggests NYACC

 


The New York City Animal Care Centers suggest adopting a shelter pet for Valentine's Day. There is now an adopted shelter pet in the White House. How many households would it take, following suit, to empty the shelters?

Often, shelter pets come from people who are too ill to continue to care for them or who have died. They are housebroken, domesticated, socialized, and usually loving. What a good companion that might be!

Personally, I (MSI Press managing editor -- I am generally the one who writes our blog posts) "adopt" my pets from the street. Five of my current 6 cats were feral rescues, just picked up and brought in. As far as I know, none were abandoned but had been born "in the wild" and had scrapped for food. They did not know a kind touch, and vets wrote FERAL in big red letters across their charts. That is mainly because the cats hissed at them and either scratched or bit them or both. It takes some effort and TIME (not days and weeks, but months and years) to domesticate a feral cat, one that is beyond the kitten stage. To integrate them into a bonded group of formerly feral cats takes even more work. But it is do-able, and it is rewarding. All six of our cats are buddies, and all are affectionate. 

Shelter cats are generally gentler on their new owners. Much gentler. Either way, there is nothing better than a furry Valentine!

And if you need something to read while snuggling in with your furry Valentine, check out these posts about cats and dogs.

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