Do people who plan and research before adopting a shelter pet end up keeping that pet more often than people who adopt more impulsively? No, says a new study from the American Humane Association.
What does “quality of life” really mean? Far from being an afterthought or even a luxury, the quality of life for shelter pets is directly related to disease outbreaks, development of behavior problems, the chances a pet will be adopted, and whether that adoption will be successful or if the pet will end up back at the shelter.
Who doesn’t love a kitten? Practically no one. Who doesn’t love 1,000 kittens? That’s a different story.
Food guarding – possessive, defensive or aggressive behavior around food or food bowls – is not a death sentence for a shelter dog. How to assess and modify this behavior is something all animal shelters can and should learn in order to save the lives of more dogs, and ensure their safe and successful placement in new homes.
Sheltered pets often have problems related to their diets, and knowing how much to feed them for their life stage and health status can be tricky, especially if you’re working with donated foods that aren’t consistent meal to meal.
Nothing makes the sleepless nights and anxiety worth it to a kitten caregiver than seeing their
little charges grow up and get adopted. Check out this slideshow documenting the steps from the
earliest days to the happily-ever-afters!
When it comes to fundraising and spreading awareness through social media, are animal welfare organizations making the most of their own popularity?
Is what we don’t know about homeless cats hurting them? That’s the question the National
Council on Pet Population (NCPP) and the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA)
will be addressing at the first annual Research Day, “a scientific symposium on improving the
lives of millions of homeless cats in North America.”
It sold out quickly last year – have you registered for the 2013 ASPCA/Cornell/Maddie’s®
Shelter Medicine Conference yet? Tracks designed for veterinarians, shelter administrators,
veterinary technicians, veterinary students and volunteers will present research data, insights and
proven strategies for saving lives in animal shelters.
Trap-neuter-release programs for community cats help protect human health. That’s not just because altered cats are less likely to fight and roam, thus creating fewer opportunities for disease spread. It’s also because TNR programs routinely vaccinate their feline patients against rabies, a disease nearly always fatal to humans.