Cats from a shelter: a second chance for abandoned four-legged friends
As a cat owner, you naturally appreciate the company of your four-legged roommate. Nevertheless, animal shelters are full of cats that have escaped or have been relinquished by their owners.
So if you are considering getting a cat, the local animal shelter is definitely a sensible alternative to the breeder. After all, you can give a lonely cat a new home this way. What the process is like when adopting a shelter cat and what you need to look out for is explained below.
German animal shelters are full of cats and other animals
The number of pet owners increases from year to year. There are now more than 12 million dogs and even more than 12 million cats living in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, a considerable number of these furry friends end up in animal shelters sooner or later.
RSPCA animal shelters alone take in around 17,500 cats and other pets every year.
Of course, it may well be that the owner of a cat has no other choice but to give up the four-legged friend to the animal shelter, because the care of the animal is no longer possible, for example, due to an illness or an allergy to cat hair on the part of the owner.
In many cases, however, cats simply end up in a shelter because keeping them is too much work for the owners or their interest in the animal has waned.
Cats from shelters deserve a chance
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter to the cat itself why it ended up in the shelter. After all, the animal does not understand why it is no longer allowed to live in its familiar home and is suddenly more or less left to its own devices.
You can therefore be sure that being placed in a shelter is a decidedly painful experience for cats. For, although the staff on-site do a great job in caring for the animals, they cannot, of course, replace the loving care of a real family.
So as cute as a clumsy little kitten from the breeder is, you should at least think about choosing a cat from the shelter instead and giving it a second chance in a new home.
A cat should not be acquired lightly
Compared to keeping dogs, keeping a cat naturally proves to be far less time-consuming. However, this does not mean that you have no work at all. After all, cats also want to be kept busy and receive attention. Of course, you also have to feed the four-legged friend every day, clean their litter tray and keep any appointments with the vet.
Apart from that, keeping a cat naturally also involves certain costs. The four-legged friend needs cat food, cat litter and various accessories such as cat toys and a scratching post. Of course, visits to the vet also cost money. When your cat is ill, the costs for examinations and treatments can quickly become a burden on the household budget.
Therefore, you should think carefully beforehand about whether you want to bear the responsibility for a cat permanently and whether you have enough financial and time leeway for the animal. Of course, this applies to cats from the animal shelter as well as to a four-legged friend from the breeder.
How the adoption of a cat from a shelter works
Of course, the shelter attaches great importance to the animals being in good hands. It should therefore go without saying that you can't just drop by the shelter and take any cat with you.
Instead, you will usually first have to show that you actually have enough space and can care for the animal. For this purpose, you will probably have to fill out a questionnaire. In some cases, an employee of the animal shelter may even want to visit and get an idea of your living situation and the cat's future home.
Protection fee and protection contract for the cat from the shelter
If nothing speaks against the adoption, a so-called protection contract for the cat from the shelter will be drawn up. This contract regulates all relevant rights and duties in writing.
In addition, you will usually have to pay a protection fee to the shelter before you can take your cat with you. The amount is usually around 20 to 100 pounds. The exact amount can vary depending on the shelter and will of course be communicated to you in advance.
The shelter fee covers at least part of the costs incurred for the care of the cat, like neutering or vaccinations, as well as food. In addition, it is intended to ensure that you do not make the decision to adopt the four-legged friend rashly and that you are aware of the responsibility that goes along with this.
Supporting animal shelters in other ways
Of course, you don't necessarily have to adopt an animal like a cat to support the local animal shelter. Alternatively, you can volunteer and walk the shelter’s dogs, for example.
If you don't have the time but still want to help, it is also a good idea to donate some money or things like cat food and accessories from time to time. In this way, you can do something good for the residents of the shelter without much effort and help to ensure that they are provided with the most basic necessities.
Healthy cat food for your new housemate
In our assortment you will find high-quality, grain-free dry and wet food for cats. However, as the move is very stressful for your four-legged friend, we advise you to first use the cat food you are used to from the animal shelter.
As soon as the cat has settled in, you can begin to gradually switch to cat food from I Love My Cat. In this way, you avoid additional stress caused by the direct change of food and the associated digestive problems.
Expert tip for stressed cats from the shelter
In any case, give your cat from the shelter enough attention in the first few days without crowding it. In addition, a dietary supplement with Shiimun Calm can be useful as a support if necessary.
Shiimun Calm is a natural preparation which, thanks to its special composition of ingredients such as brewer's yeast, green tea and shiitake, can help your new cat to cope more easily with the stress associated with moving in.
Cats from the shelter - our conclusion
As you can see, adopting a cat from a shelter is definitely a great alternative to buying a kitten from a breeder. After all, you can give an abandoned four-legged friend a second chance and give them a new home.
It usually doesn't take long for the cat from the shelter to get used to you, so that soon nothing will stand in the way of a relaxed everyday life with your four-legged addition to the family.
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