Because of these kinds of people, animal rescuers can get a little leery of cat hoarding, to the point where they can suspect it in places where it isn’t. I told an animal rescuer recently that I had four cats and she clearly thought I was on my way down the loony path, that it was only a matter of time before the authorities would be knocking on my door. I was bemused by her reaction. I do understand the fear, but my four cats are quite happy and healthy, and I really am rational. (I plan to invite her to my house to alleviate her fears.)
Is there anything we can do to help this problem? Of course! There are some genuine groups who are doing genuinely good things for animals, including no-kill shelters. If you wish to help animals, you can’t go wrong donating to them, or helping them out in some other way. Or, if you want to get more involved, there is probably a local animal rescue group you could volunteer for. These societies always need help.
One more side note: I am reminded of an article I once read about a couple spending $20,000 on an operation for their $4.99 goldfish—and the goldfish died anyway. As my wonderful sister-in-law said, there are a lot more socially responsible ways to spend that kind of money than on a goldfish. Much as I love my goldfish, even if I had that kind of money to burn, I wouldn’t spend it on a risky operation that had only a so-so chance of succeeding. Instead, I’d donate that money to a no-kill shelter, and save the lives of a large number of animals.
But do the research first to make sure you are donating to something that is legitimate. For example, do not donate to PETA, which is another horror story in itself. “PETA is against the no kill movement and euthanizes the majority of animals that are given to them.”
Since you may find conflicting reports about any given place, or you may have different ideas about what constitutes loving care (some places, for example, advocate not letting your animals outside unless they are in an enclosure, and you may not agree with that), you will have to listen to your heart to decide whether a place is doing more good than harm.
Abbie says:
It breaks my heart to know that animals are dying EVERYDAY! I want to help, but I don’t know how. Respond to this message with some ideas on how to help animals, other than going vegetarian. 🙂
marinamichaels says:
Hi, Abbie! Thanks for visiting, and for your comment. I am working on putting together a page on things you can do–once I started writing, I realized there are a lot of things you can do, even without going vegetarian. Look for a post about it here in the next day or two.