Tail Waggers' Blog

Several shelters and other organizations including the SPCA are celebrating the American Humane Society’s Adopt a Shelter Cat Month throughout June. The American Humane Society estimates that 6-8 million dogs and cats end up in a shelter in the United States each year and about half, 3-4 million, are euthanized each year. This is an alarming number of pets but there is some good news that we have seen a positive trend in not just the number of pets being euthanized but the total number of pets even going into a shelter has significantly reduced in the past 40 years. Quoting the Humane Society’s website (www.humanesociety.org),

“In the 1970s, American shelters euthanized 12-20 million dogs and cats, at a time when there were 67 million pets in homes. Today, shelters euthanize around 4 million animals, while there are more than 135 million dogs and cats in homes. This enormous decline in euthanasia numbers—from around 25 percent of American dogs and cats euthanized every year to about 3 percent—represents substantial progress. We will make still greater progress by working together to strike at the roots of animal overpopulation.”

The best way to reduce overpopulation is to spay or neuter your pet and the second is to spread the word on pet population control.

The absolutely best way to celebrate Adopt a Shelter Cat Month is to actually adopt a kitty or two. There are so many felines that come into shelters during the spring and early summer across the US making June a perfect time to adopt a kitten or full grown cat. Plus this may be the best time for your families as summer vacation may mean vacations and exploring but it also means more free time, no after school programs and limited organized sports. Then again in this current economy stay-cations may mean less traveling and more time at home. It is the best time to adopt a new pet, especially a little one, that you will have more time to bond with, teach them, and more importantly – more time to love on them!

If you have kids, it is well worth the effort to teach your kids about the responsibilities of pet ownership, which includes building responsibility and providing them a friend for live that provides unconditional love. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry mention the following emotional benefits on their website.

Advantages of Pet Ownership

Children raised with pets show many benefits. Developing positive feelings about pets can contribute to a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence. Positive relationships with pets can aid in the development of trusting relationships with others. A good relationship with a pet can also help in developing non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. Pets can serve different purposes for children:

* They can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts–children often talk to their pets, like they do their stuffed animals.
* They provide lessons about life; reproduction, birth, illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement.
* They can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them.
* They provide a connection to nature.
* They can teach respect for other living things.

Other physical and emotional needs fulfilled by pet ownership include:

* Physical activity
* Comfort contact
* Love, loyalty, and affection
* Experience with loss if a pet is lost or dies.

There are also health benefits for children and adults, alike. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) state the following health benefits:

Pets can decrease your:

Blood pressure
Cholesterol levels
Triglyceride levels
Feelings of loneliness

Pets can increase your:

Opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
Opportunities for socialization

Here at If It Wags we are doing several things to celebrate and promote Adopt a Shelter Cat Month. We are informing the public, offering free shipping on all cat collars, making a donation to the SPCA for each cat collar sold in the month of June and taking part in the best thing anyone can do during this time (or really anytime) of year – adopting a cat or two!