Our shelter has a waiting list!

I really can't believe this - despite being right in the middle of "kitten season", the demand for kittens is higher than the supply, and people are having their names put on a list. This is so unusual that the local paper published an article today, and did the shelter a real service: It printed individual color pictures of the older cats in the shelter, aged between 1 and 10, with fairly long descriptions of each cat's history, personality, needs, etc.. Hopefully most of them will find permanent homes.
Although I'd like to think that the spay/neuter drive has been successful, I expect that many people want cats because our county re-introduced garbage pails a few years ago. You either have to have a separate garbage pail, or a compost heap in the backyard. The result has been a real rodent plague. Even people renting apartments have suddenly found that the landlords aren't objecting to pet cats. We have about 19 indoor/outdoor cats on our block alone.

Wow, thats really cool. And interesting.

I'm not terribly in love with masses of indoor/outdoor cats, but if they are spayed and nuetered at least they won't be adding to the problem.

The newspaper article sounds great!

Yipee!!

I am glad the paper posted about the older cats, they are great cats too! Two of mine I got as kittens and two as adults - the adult's meshed into the house much easier... not sure if it was easier on me or the house!

I got my guy as a young adult cat, and I do hope more people will consider adopting the olders ones too... they only want to be loved and cared for! I think about what might have happened to poor Cosmo (and he had been in the shelter 2-3 weeks already when we got him -- it's hard to believe such a beautiful friendly kitty was overlooked by anyone)!

Thats excellent news!

The newspaper article worked! Of the cats featured, only two haven't found homes yet. One is a ten-year-old black female - no surprise, due to her age and color-, and the other is a "special-needs" cat - an adult male feral who needs a place on a farm or large estate where he'll be fed and given vet care, and can seek shelter in a barn or shed in inclement weather, but otherwise will be left to his own devices.
Of course, the cycle continues. The shelter got an 8-year-old, indoor-outdoor, cream, male Persian yesterday, who hates children and other cats, has litter box issues, and won't allow himself to be groomed. He's going to have to be knocked out and shaved, which won't heighten his chances of finding a new home soon.

That is great news that you have rehomed so many adult cats! Poor persian. Hopefully he will become more friendly once his mats are gone. How sad to be eight and kicked out by your family!

I dont understand people giveing up senior cats.. there is a 13 yr old at one of the local shelters... Unless the owner died why??

Originally Posted by sharky

I dont understand people giveing up senior cats.. there is a 13 yr old at one of the local shelters... Unless the owner died why??

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None of us understand why people give up older cats and dogs. That is why many rescue organizations will state in their contract that the dog or cat must come back to them if the person can no longer care for the animal. Being an owner is a lifetime commitment.

Katie

Originally Posted by sharky

I dont understand people giveing up senior cats.. there is a 13 yr old at one of the local shelters... Unless the owner died why??

Click to expand...

Oddly enough, this is the second 8-year-old male, cream Persian we've gotten in the past couple of weeks. We're wondering if they're litter mates. The first one (since adopted) was "replaced" by two purebred kittens - I guess he was no longer "cute" enough! The main reasons for this last one being given up were his litter box/grooming issues, which I suspect have something to do with the family having adopted a dog shortly before the problems started. In other words, both cats were disposed of in favor of new pets.

It's good to hear that people are putting their names on a list to adopt.
Sadly the Toronto Humane society has closed its doors because "cats and kittens are arriving at record numbers", and they have no space for them.
I don't understand why poeple would give up their older pets either, but I think it might have something to do with parents adopting and getting dogs and kittens for their children. (like my parents neighbours), and the children don't find them as much after they grow up, don't want to take care of them and what not, the parents don't want to do it either so they take give them to the shelter. Having a pet is a long term commitment. And to add my parents neighbours after giving the cat to the shelter got their kids a hamster, which I think would have been a much better start for the kids in the first place since they don't live that long, and it would have given the parents an opportunity to see if the children are mature enough to take care of a pet.

Also, I know this happens a lot with dogs, cute little kittens get bigger, and some "cute" behavior is no longer cute in an adult cat. We have this GREAT cat at our adoption center, but he gets too aggressive when playing. I think as a kitten no one ever tried to show him that playing with hands is no good.

Also, I think people who HAVE children will decide that they can't keep their cats anymore. Because of irrational fear of the litterbox, etc.

People need to think more long-term.