Sorry about the lack of updates and replies folks – I’ve had a busy (and rough) couple of weeks, and I’ve been writing but it’s just not flowing (but it’ll be great when I get the stuff I started finished, I promise!)

Particularly rough is that over the weekend I went to the Humane Society to volunteer and found out my favourite cat, Nestle, had gotten quite ill and was euthanized on advice of the vet. I was planning on adopting her if she was still there come this fall.

I feel particularly bad, because her story is sad from start to finish. She was removed, along with several other cats, from a home where she was not properly socialized. Not feral but very fearful and anxious. She never really got over her timidness the entire time she was at the shelter (almost 2 years) and was in and out of foster care to no great improvement.

She did not show well in the shelter. She spent most of her time in her cage in her little house, burrowed under blankets, so half the time you couldn’t even tell that there was a cat there at all. Yet, despite her shyness, she was an extremely sweet, nice cat, who loved being pet and cuddled (as long as you didn’t pick her up.) She was tiny and a beautiful chocolate brown. She had a small growth on her ear that I’m sure further hindered her chances at adoption, but that just further endeared her to me.

I know it’s a bad idea to get attached to animals in a shelter, but I did – she was going to be my baby, and this hurts. At the same time, I’m also glad that she was loved by at least one person during her difficult, too short life. I hope she’s at peace now.

I was writing a post about cat litter, but I got a call from my mum tonight which makes me very, very sad.

Two of the cats I grew up with, Tiger (17) & Bart (14) will be going to the Rainbow Bridge this week. Appointments with the vet are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Tiger and Bart’s health has been deteriorating over the last few months, Tiger with arthritis, renal failure and a problem with his mouth; Bart with a condition that the vets have been unable to diagnose, causing pain and incontinence. Both have been on medication for pain management and had been maintaining quality of life pretty well, with even some intermittent improvements in health. But, quality of life is starting to deteriorate and pain management isn’t enough any more.

We’ve known that this was coming for a while, and was just a matter of time, but it’s still extremely hard. Bart and Tiger have been a part of the family for most of my life. I haven’t lived at home for quite  few years now, but it’s going to be difficult not having them around when I visit on holidays. I’m sure it will be much harder for my brothers and my mother, who are accustomed to seeing them every day, especially for my mother – she’s the centre of the cats’ universe, following her around, cuddling at night and sharing affection.

At the end of your pet’s life, it helps to know that you’re doing the right thing for them. Much as we will miss them, and much as it hurts, it is the right and selfless thing to do. Relieving their suffering even if it increases your our and being there with them at the end is one of the finest acts of compassion we can perform, and we owe them that much. For their years of unconditional love, for being there when we needed them, for teaching us to be better people and for putting their trust in us to take care of them.

We’ve been fortunate to have them around for this long – we never expected Bart to last through Christmas, but he’s a tough little guy and apparently had a few more months in him. I’m ever so grateful that I was able to see both of them during the holidays. I wish I could be there now, for Bart and Tiger and for the rest of the family. This loss will be much more immediate and real for them. All I can do is be there emotionally for my family and help them make Bart and Tiger’s last few days as happy and comfortable as possible.

Hard as this is, I am glad we have the means to give our pets a good death at the end of their lives. Having to watch them suffer would exponentially increase the pain of saying good bye.

I’ll get back to blogging about cat litter and other fun topics soon. In the mean time, I’m going to go have a good cry, get some sleep and probably revisit this again tomorrow.

When you hear about euthanasia numbers in shelters, articles often cite national annual statistics. With national numbers usually in the millions, it becomes difficult to really comprehend and visualize – “millions” becomes an abstract number.

Yesterday, there was an article in the Thunder Bay Source with Animal Services euthanasia numbers for 2008. The numbers were small enough to really wrap my head around but large enough to completely break my heart.

In 2008, 1570 cats were impounded at City Animal Services. Of that number, 109 were adopted, 94 were claimed by their owners and 1,257 were euthanized. That means that for every cat that was adopted, 12 were euthanized because there are too few homes and too few people able to take in another cat.*

The over population crisis

It hurts me to see numbers like this, and just further emphasizes the need to spay and neuter every animal you own.

I know some people feel that it’s okay to allow their cat to have kittens as long as they can find homes for each of them. Unfortunately everyone one of those kittens means one less potential home for strays, surrendered, abandoned and seized cats. It means more more cat in a shelter who will be euthanized instead of adopted.

Unless your cat has a pedigree (and I have mixed feelings about the ethics of breeding cats when there are so many unwanted ones) there is no excuse or reason to allow your cat to reproduce. With far more cats than there are homes, owned cats should not be contributing to the population problem, be it through negligence, indifference or accident.

Perception of shelter animals

A erroneous negative perception of shelter animals often makes it even more difficult to place homeless pets. While some animals are surrendered because of behaviour issues, many end up in shelters because their owners:

• passed away
• moved into a nursing home
• moved to a place that does not allow pets
• developed a new pet allergy
• did not have time for the pet anymore due to changing circumstances
• did not consider their long-term responsibility when adopting and lost interest (sadly all too common with students away from home for university)
• could no longer afford to keep a pet (and issue that has become much more common recently)

Others end up in shelters because:

• their owner could not find homes for an entire litter that they planned to place
• they are picked up as strays
• they are removed from abusive situations

Most shelter animals make excellent, loving pets from the day you take them home. Others, such as those who have been abused, have had minimal contact with humans or have behavioural issues may require more effort or attention, but with time and effort (or some times just a very small, simple change) almost all behavioural and social issues can be adjusted.

Shelter animals make excellent pets. As an added bonus, they shelter animals are usually up to date on their vaccinations and deworming and have been given a clean bill of health. Most are already spayed/neutered or the service is provided through the shelter at a discounted rate.

Make a difference

What can you do to help?

• Spay and neuter your pets – if you haven’t done so already, make plans to do it today.
• If you have room in your home for another animal, go to your local shelter and save a life.
• If you’re not ready for a long term commitment, consider fostering.
• Volunteer at your local shelter.
• Make a donation to your local shelter, spay-neuter program or your regional SPCA.
• Participate in or start a trap-neuter-release program for strays in your area.
• Spread the word – talk to others about spaying/neutering and the pet over-population problem.

Every little bit helps.

* For clarity, these numbers do not include cats taken to the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, which is a separate, indepenent organization. Animal Services is run by the City of Thunder Bay. The Humane Society is a low kill shelter and does not euthanize healthy animals – only those who are too sick or injured to recover or those who are so aggressive as to pose a serious threat to people. All adoptable animals are kept until they can be placed in a home. The statistics are reflective only of City Animal Services, not of Thunder Bay as a whole.

Photo by Sande Hamilton