Adopting a cat is an especially rewarding experience that won’t only enrich your individual life but save the lifetime of an animal in need, too. In case you’re debating whether it is best to adopt a kitty or buy one from a breeder, we can assist. Read on to seek out ten compelling reasons to go to your local animal shelter or rescue today.
The ten Good Reasons to Adopt a Cat
1. Adopting Saves Lives
In accordance with statistics from the ASPCA, roughly 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters in the US annually.1 What’s more, 530,000 of the cats in shelters across America might be euthanized this yr. While these numbers seem like on the decline, they’re still staggering. If you adopt a kitty, you’re saving it from inevitable euthanasia and freeing up space for other cats in need until they will be welcomed into their perpetually homes.
2. You Know What You’re Getting
Lots of the cats waiting for his or her perpetually homes in shelters are older, meaning their personalities are fully developed. If you decide to adopt an older kitty, you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into behavior-wise. When adopting a kitten, you never really know what their personality might be like after they’re old. Selecting to adopt from a shelter means you get to nitpick what traits you wish your kitty to have. Do you wish a companion that’s a bit more relaxed and snuggly or one with infinite energy? The shelter can provide insight into each cat’s unique personality traits and make suggestions about which can fit your needs best.
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3. Your Cat Will Be Trained
Most adoptables are on the older side, meaning they’ve already been trained to make use of the litter box and have had time to develop good behaviors. You won’t must worry about teaching your kitty the ins and outs of litter box usage or fret about them having accidents throughout your private home after they already know the fundamentals.
4. Adopting Is Financially Responsible
Adopting a cat from a rescue or shelter comes with a much cheaper price tag than acquiring a kitty from a breeder would. Adoption fees typically include spaying, neutering, and vaccinations, which may add as much as the tons of in the event you were to be on the hook for them. Some rescues also include the associated fee of microchipping and can even send you home with toys and bags of food to assist ease the transition.
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5. Your Cat Will Have a Clean Bill of Health
Responsible shelters be certain that their animals are taken to the veterinarian before being put up for adoption. If you adopt from a rescue, you get a guaranteed clean bill of health, so you realize your recent pet is healthy and able to go to their perpetually home.
6. You’re Supporting Your Local Shelter
By adopting out of your local shelter or rescue, you’re supporting an integral partner in your community. Your adoption fees will go toward helping more homeless animals find their perpetually homes. When these organizations have proper funding, they will spay and neuter more animals, thus lowering the variety of strays on the road and reducing overpopulation.
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7. Rescued Pets Are Often Healthier
A lot of the cats you’ll find at your local rescue for adoption are usually not purebred but as an alternative domestic crossbreeds. While purebred cats are highly sought-after for his or her beauty, they are sometimes unhealthier than their non-purebred counterparts.
Breeders are within the business of making purebred cats for large money. These cats often cost 1000’s of dollars and will be at a better risk of developing certain diseases. One study shows that purebred cats are more likely than their domestic crossbred counterparts to develop conditions like reproductive issues, lower respiratory tract infections, immunological disorders, surgical complications, and heart disease.
8. You’ll Have a Lot to Select From
There may be definitely no shortage of shelter cats anywhere on this planet. You’ll have plenty to pick from in the event you’re looking for a cat with a specific appearance, age, or personality trait. We recommend using a web site like PetFinder to start out narrowing down your selections. This site acts as a database of obtainable adoptables throughout North America. Use their handy search engine to filter your results because it permits you to filter by breed, color, coat length, gender, age, whether the animal in query is nice with kids/other animals, and what number of days they’ve been waiting for his or her perpetually home.
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9. Cats Improve Your Mental Health
Countless studies exist touting the mental health advantages of cat ownership. One study from Australia shows that cat people have higher psychological health than people without pets. Cat owners claim to have lower levels of psychiatric disturbances, feel happier, and are higher equipped to face problems of their lives.
Cat owners are more likely than dog owners to say that their furry relations provide companionship and a chilled presence of their home. They’re also more more likely to say their pets reduce stress and anxiety.
10. Cats Can Improve Physical Health
Cats can decrease stress levels, making their owners less vulnerable to certain health conditions corresponding to heart problems.
Moreover, children raised in households with cats could also be less more likely to develop allergic diseases as they age.
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Final Thoughts
Adopting a cat is an important technique to save a life while helping your local shelters and rescues proceed to herald more strays off the road to assist them find their perpetually homes. Adopted cats are generally healthier than their purebred counterparts, and also you get to choose which cat you wish, so that you’ll know exactly what they give the impression of being like fully grown and what their personality is like.
Adopting is a rewarding experience that we recommend for each soon-to-be cat owner.
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