I want to write about the ongoing problem of animal homelessness, but I will be homing in on cats mostly, as this is the feline guide tehe.
Approximately 2.7 MILLION dogs and cats are killed every year, because shelters are just too full and not enough people are adopting. 7.6 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide every year and cats make up 3.4m out of that 7.6 million figure. During 2014 the RSPCA rescued and collected 128,209 animals, found new homes for 53,263 animals and investigated 159,831 cruelty complaints! These figures are staggering! But, only 10% of these animals received by shelters were spayed or neutered. Which brings me to my next point.
Overpopulation. This happens due to owners letting their pets accidentally or intentionally reproduce. But what they don’t think about is where these kittens are going, who they’re going to or what they’re going to do with them once they’re born, so most cases they’re abandoned, which sees millions of these ‘extra’ animals killed. A lot of strays are pets that were not kept indoors or are without identification. Microchipping is so crucial when you have a pet! You may think ‘oh I don’t need to do that because my cat is an indoor cat’ but believe me, it’s better to be safe than sorry! As we know, cats are great escape artists so it’s best to take all the advantages we can get. If you were to leave your window open and your kitten/cat got out and lost, without microchipping it would be near impossible to get him/her back. But with microchipping, if they were found and taken to a vet, they would be able to contact you and you would get your baby back. Woohoo!
So please, if you’re thinking about getting a new addition for your family, adopt, don’t shop! There are so many out there, just waiting for a home with you!
the feline guide 