Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Ask not what your shelter can do for you...

Athena and I are shelter cats. (Hera had a foster Mom who probably spoiled her - which would explain a lot.) When I was in the shelter they euthanized pets no one wanted. I was almost one of them myself - I had one week left. But then my favorite human in the world saved me! Luckily the animals at my shelter no longer have to worry about that. It is now a no-kill shelter. The animals in Athena's old shelter are not so lucky. They euthanize A LOT of animals every year.

If you want a cat or a dog - try a shelter or foster/rescue organization!

Shelters and foster/rescue organizations aren't around to make money. They are there to get animals off the streets and - hopefully - into new forever homes. Just like Hera, Athena, and me. Because they don't have a lot of money, there are ways humans can help.


Things your can do to help your local animal shelter

Volunteer 




 Volunteering is great because it is free! All it costs is your time. You can do it once with a group as part of a special activity (like "Clean the Shelter Day") or as often as you want. Many shelters take humans as young as 16 years old to be volunteers.


Show off what you know




Shelters always need talented people. So if you don't want to volunteer to walk dogs and clean cages, volunteer your skills. (Humans always have skills.) Take photos, do some bookkeeping, build a dog cage, or redo a webpage. Shelters need all sorts of different types of help.


Take one of us home with you




You can sign up to be a foster parent and take an animal home with you until it is adopted. Just remember - you have to give it back! If you don't it is called a "foster failure." But in this case a failure is a good thing! Foster parents help keep shelters from getting too crowded.


Donate




Let's face it, cats aren't very good about going out and getting jobs. But even though we can't eat it, we cats know money is important. And shelters need a lot of it. Cats need food, help if we get sick, a roof over our heads, and TV and video games. OK, we don't care about TV or video games (except Athena) but we do need those other things! Even just a few dollars can really help. 


Hold a Fundraiser




Your cat clogged the toilet with his catnip mouse and your dryer exploded. Now you are short on money to donate. No problem!  Have an event that helps raise money for a shelter. You can do this through your school, work, or organization. Animal Sheltering has pages and pages of great fundraising ideas.

Make a blanket




Cage bottoms are really hard. Blankets make things cozy. Case closed. If you can knit you can use one of the many blanket patterns from The Snuggles Project. Or try something easier like this No-Sew Fleece Throw.


Give them your old stuff



Many shelters have wish lists. And because we cats don't care if stuff is new, you may find things your local shelter needs just lying around your house gathering dust. Such as sheets, blankets, newspapers, towels and old pet items you no longer need.


Buy them new stuff



Go shopping! Humans like that kind of thing, right? The next time you are at the store pick up some cat food, or cat litter, or a TV and Xbox for the furry guys at your local shelter. (OK, again, maybe not a TV and Xbox.)


Adopt! 



Adopting a pet is serious business. We pets like sticking around as long as possible. If you have room and love and money to pay for food and medical bills, check out your local shelter. But don't do it without putting a lot of thought into it first!


I want to help, but I don't even know if we have a shelter


Chances are, you have a shelter somewhere nearby. Here are three great links to help you find one:







Join the BlogPaws Blog Hop:


10 comments:

  1. This is a lovely post, helpful fun and I wanted to rush out and add to the nine cats we already have. No wait I had better stick to fundraising!

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  2. What a great post! I'm a rescue cat named Athena too :)

    Purrs xx
    Athena and Marie

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  3. Great post, we always support our local shelters!

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  4. Love supporting local animal shelters.

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  5. Very helpful and informative. I love the kitty pushing the baby kitty in the cart! :-)

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  6. Aw, this is wonderful! I am sharing in the hopes that more people will do the things on this list :D

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  7. Great post - we've done a lot of the things on your list but we only fostered once....'cause we adopted our three fosters and welcomed them into our home permanently :)

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  8. furry excellent post!!! glad you bisited us, an' hope you comes back--we will see you again!

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  9. PepiSmartDog : this is an EXCELLENT post!
    Everyone should read this. I've taken a screen shot of your link to remind myself to share your post on our fb page, in a few days time.
    Really great post!
    Mom and I are animal rescuers so we really appreciate your message.
    Thank you for joining our Thankful Thursday Weekly Blog Hop again.
    Please know we always appreciate you joining and look forward to your post each week.
    Hope to see you next week. *waves paw* :=o)

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  10. This is such a great post. Shelters need all the help and donations they could get. Thanks for the wonderful share. Have a great day.
    World of Animals

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