I think that before we can shun and condemn kill shelters, we should note that shelters do not like doing that kind of work, nor do they do so because they do not care; they are simply met with an immense overload of animals that they do not have the funding the handle. SPCAs, and many humane societies, are well-established groups that are well funded, and tend to only take on what they can handle. City animal control shelters are expected to take in any animal brought in, get very little funding, are typically understaffed, and thus, are forced to put down many of the animals that come in.
We all like to glare and cast stones and say how evil they are, but frankly, the people who murdered those animals are not the ones who injected the drug that kills them; the people responsible for the deaths of those animals are the BYBs and puppy mills; the people buying these dogs because they want a purebred, even though shelters overflow with them; the people who refuse to sterilize their pets; the people who let thier dogs and cats freely roam; the clinics who get greedy and overcharge for sterilization; pet owners who do not train thier animals then abandon them for being unruly; and the pet owners who refuse to make moderate lifestyle changes to keep their animal when situations change.
What makes me sick is that all of these things are social norms; most people would not think to challenge someone for letting their cat roam around outside, or for buying a puppy at a pet store, or for giving up their animal over some minor inconvenience that could easily be worked with. Yet we'll all frown at the shelters who euthanize. As for as I am concerned, we should be
agressively pursuing irresponsible pet owners, if not with logic and advice, than with legislature. We
need legislation in the country which mandates that only liscenced, professional, breeders registered under a reputable breed organization may have unsterilized pets. We
need to enforce leash laws, and instate them where they are lacking. We
need to make it just as illegal to have your cat roaming around as it is to have your dog doing the same; they make cat-proof fencing and outdoor cat enclosures - WHY risk you pet's life, be it getting hit by a car, killed by a predator, or picked up by animal control? In short, you can not make people just be responsible on the grounds of morality and common sense; you essentially need to force them to be good, responsible pet owners - sad but true. Now if only we could find a way to make vets charge less for a simple, routine procedure like altering that takes very little time or money...
And finally, we need education. Wide-spread, expansive education. I don't think any pet store should be allowed to operate unless it provides
accurate care information for every single species it is selling. I see petco/petsmart starting to have these pet care leafletts, but they are only as accurate as the products they try to sell; they suggest that you can keep a betta in 2 cups of unheated water and clean them once a month
I've also seen care sheets at pet stores that do not list life span or minimum cage space, two other very important factors in pet ownership. If people know more of what they are getting in to before they buy an animal, they will be less likely to realize "oh drat, this wasn't what I wanted" and abandon it in a few weeks. The number of homeless birds, rabbits, ferrets, and exotics in this country is equally as appaling as the dog and cat situation, and unlike the latter, they do not get all of the press and funding that dog and cat groups recieve.
I think that vets also have a duty and obligation to educate. As the primary caregivers of an animal, they should be stressing the benefits of spay/nueter to owners - in temperament, health, life expectancy, and of course, preventing unwanted litters. They should be encouraging owners to keep their cats secured indoors or in an enclosed outdoor area, because most stray cats origionated from roaming felines and thier offspring, not the mention the many diseases we can not yet vaccinate against. They should be talking to clients about behavior and training, so that the puppy doesn't grow up into an agressive, nuerotic dog that gets ditched in a shelter. They should educate about breeds, so that someone living in an apartment and working all day doesn't buy a Border Collie, have it ruin their house from boredom, and dump it off somewhere. I could list on and on, but in short - they should be doing more than they are doing, and for less money as well. There is no reason why the same quality nueter should cost 20 bucks at one vet, and 70 bucks at another. As a veterinary technician, I know part of that money being charged is MY salary, but I still am confident that it doesn't need to cost that much; our clinic is very inexpensive, and it takes in strays. So at these high price clinics, someone is really lining their pockets.
Finally, on the issue of feral cats, I do believe that TNR is much more favorable than extermination. I have a real issue with feral and roaming cats, because as a wildlife rehabilitator, I see countless animals mauled and killed by cats who do not even need to eat them, but are merely driven by instinct to do so. Well fed feral colonies kill less wildlife, as do properly contained household cats. I feel that a combination of pushing indoor/enclosed oudoor cats, paired with mass spay/nueter/vaccination and management of colonies will cut down on the millions of stray cats in the US. However, unlike some groups, I do think that ferals who test positive for diseases should be euthanized; we have an epidemic of deadly, contageous feline diseases thanks to irresponsible pet owners who do not vaccinate. When we keep those diseases alive in the feral colonies, we essentially risk the entire feline population. It just isn't good logic if your goal is to maintain healthy, well-fed feral cats. And, I also think any kittens that have a chance of being tamed should be captured at weaning, socialized, and adopted out if possible. The fewer cats out there killing wildlife and spreading disease, the better.
Anyways, to the origional poster: if you do adopt from a kill shelter, please do test the kittens for diseases, get them vaccinated/spayed, and keep them indoors or in an enclosed outdoor setting. This will keep more kittens like them from ending up in kill shelters. And, since I'm sure you don't need to be told the previous anyways, just double check with disease testing a few times; many diseases do not manifest themselves until later, and kill shelters do not typically test or vaccinate. Good luck ^^
/www.anticruelty.org/spay_neuter_clinic.html
It would break my heart to walk in there every day and see those eyes. I have gotten all but one of my animals from shelters. I don't understand why people go and pay $500+ for a purebred dog that will probably have problems later on in life due to inbreeding. Trust me people, when you rescue a dog from a shelter, it knows what you saved them from and will be the most loving, grateful pet you've ever had. You may have to work with it but then again you would have to work with a puppy too.
, snoozing with Daddy)
