All over the world, there is an ongoing cat overpopulation. Most anywhere, these cats are gathered and killed, sometimes, by very cruel means. In the United States alone, more than six million cats are put to death each year.
Some cities, however, embrace their cats like good fortune. In Rome, if a kitten is born on a Roman's doorstep, by law it has the right to live on his property. Roman cats are just as famous as the Roman ruins where they mostly live. Old ladies called gattare feed and take care of these animals and the government sees to it that a vet visits them often to spay, neuter, and vaccinate them. The cats even have litter boxes here and there among the ruins. After all, Romans feel they owe to these cats whose ancestors, sometime during the antiquity, were brought over from Egypt to rid the city of rats.
Unfortunately, not every city is as civilized as Rome and no public official ever makes a big issue of saving the lives of stray cats. In our country, stray cats are taken care off all right, but rather in a negative way, because the city officials do not want the cats as public nuisances endangering the health of the human population. Some humane rescue organizations, however, pick up these cats spay and neuter them and put them up for adoption.
Adoption is the right thing to do, if you want a cat in your life. When you adopt a cat or a kitten from an organization like your local shelter, SPCA, or another volunteer cat rescue operation, you are not only saving the life of that animal, but also, you are helping another animal to take its place in the shelter.
Adopting a kitten or a cat has its benefits. A kitten is a very cute animal and has more of a chance of getting adopted by other people. If you adopt an older cat, however, not only will you be saving is life and making space in the shelter for another animal, but also, you'll find yourself with less work. As a plus, most adult cats that are put up for adoption are already housebroken, trained, and vaccinated. Also, an adult cat understands that the new owner is the one who saved its life and it looks up to him to form an unbreakable bond with him. Your adopted cat will probably be more loyal and loving than any pedigreed, store-bought pet.
If you want a pure-bred animal, most animal shelters--in addition to mixed breeds--may offer purebreds that have lost their owners to death or misfortune or have ended up with irresponsible owners. Some humane societies may even provide counseling in pet care and match you up with a cat who will meet your needs the best. For example, a less sprightly older cat that doesn't need to be around children too much will be perfect as a friend for an older person, and a younger, livelier cat will love to be a member of a growing family.
If you cannot adopt a cat for any reason, you might decide to provide a foster home for a cat or two until their adoption by another person finalizes. Foster homes help rescue organizations greatly, since they provide extra shelter that the organizations cannot afford.
If you cannot do that, then, try to make a donation to a rescue organization in your area so the cats are spayed, neutered, and vaccinated. Usually, spayed and neutered cats will have their left ears slightly slit for identification.
If you adopt a cat, keep it indoors unless you have a fenced yard or a screened porch. Cats kept indoors live longer, are cleaner and more disease-free, and are not subject to attacks by other larger animals.
Wherever you adopt your cat from, remember that not only are you saving its life but also you are standing up for a creature that cannot defend itself. What else can be more humane and civilized than that?
This article has been submitted by Joy Cagil in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums.
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