Millions of animals enter shelters in the US every year, but not even close to as many get adopted. Instead they spend all day every day sitting in a shelter. Shelter staff try their best but it’s impossible to show all of the animals at the shelters the love and attention they deserve.
The World Animal Foundation says, “almost 6.3 million animals enter shelters each year but only 4.1 million get adopted.” This leaves 2.2 million animals in the shelters, or, in a worst case scenario they get euthanized. The rate of animal euthanasia has decreased in recent years, but it is still only outlawed in one state, Rhode Island.
Purrfect Pals Shelter in Arlington believes “Every cat matters” and they take in cats who may struggle with being adopted. Cats adopted from there receive vet checks, and need vaccines along with whatever else they need. They also provide free and neuter services to decrease stray or unwanted animals.
One cat at Purrfect Pals is named Louis and has been at the shelter since May 2015. He is 11 years old and pictured above. Louis had Feline Leukemia Virus, which can be transferred to other cats so Louis needs to either live only with other cats with FeLV or be an only cat. However, Feline Leukemia cannot be spread to humans. He is also prone to Urinary Crystals, but that just requires a special diet. He does have to take medicine daily for bladder pain too. Despite all this Louis is a sweet cat once he warms up to you. He is available to adopt and is ready to get his forever home.
Shelters all across the US all share a similar problem; they have more animals than people willing to adopt. People have a very well-set idea of what they want in a pet. Generally they want puppies or kittens, and therefore older animals are more likely to be put down or spend a long time in the shelter.
Black cats also have a hard time getting adopted due to their unlucky reputation. Since the 13th century, black cats have been revered as bad luck or evil. This led to heavy superstition and even animal abuse. Some shelters stop adoption of black cats during the Halloween season due to people performing “sacrifices” or rituals on them. However this is a very foolish narrative and in some cultures black cats are even considered good luck.
Another seemingly “unwanted” quality in animals depends on their breed. Pit bulls are frequently overlooked due to their reputation of being violent. According to PetHelpful, “2,800 pitbulls are put to death every day.” This reputation pitbulls have is extremely unwarranted because although they were bred for fighting they are just as lovable and sweet as any other breed. Almost 93% of pitbulls that enter shelters don’t leave and instead get euthanized. That’s an unnecessary sacrifice because pitbulls did nothing to deserve their status as the hardest breed to adopt out.
So, if you are looking to add to your family consider adopting an animal from a local shelter. It could be beneficial for you and an animal in need. Also, when adopting make sure to not just go off looks and age and actually find the perfect pet for you.
