Pets That Need Help

It can cost up to $10,350 per year to keep a dog, according to petfinder.com. Keeping a pet needs financial commitment to its health and general welfare. Because of the high cost of maintenance, 10 million pets get abandoned or neglected each year by owners facing financial difficulties, according to Feral Cat Coalition.

  1. Finding a Home for a Pet in Need

    • The 2008-09 economic downturn triggered by the collapse of the housing market in the United States did not only adversely affect homeowners, it hit their pets equally hard, according to Pets in Need, The number of calls it received on a daily basis from pet owners looking for a new home soared dramatically. Research, according to the Humane Society, shows moving to another area, or a building where pets are not allowed among the most common reasons for relinquishing pets. The Christian Science Monitor recommends you find an appropriate home for your pet if you decide to give it up. You find a home through classified advertising, or asking in your social network. A good home is better than a shelter where there is a probability it might be euthanized. According to Britanica.com, some shelters kill more than 90 percent of the animals they take in for reasons, including congestion.

    Shelters Rescuing Pets

    • There are also shelters that rescue pets like cats and dogs from local shelters, individuals or individuals who can no longer care for their pets. If you cannot find a home for your pet, a shelter is better than leaving your pet to stray. Rescued animals usually end up in the care of shelters, using private donations from individuals. Some of the private shelters have a no-kill policy. Such shelters do not euthanize pets for any other reason other than alleviate the suffering, or because the animal is too vicious to control. The advantage of a private shelter is that some volunteers are able to foster pets until they find a permanent home. Taxpayer's money funds some public shelters across the United States.

    Feral Cats

    • These are some of the most-neglected pets. Feral cats are the wild offspring of domestic cats. You will usually find them behind shopping areas or buildings. Basically, they are the result of abandonment as well as failure to neuter or spay animals, allowing them to sire litters uncontrollably. The San Diego-based Feral Cat Coalition estimates that a pair of breeding feral cats, which can have two or more litters per year, are capable of producing 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period. Feral cats are elusive and they do not trust human beings. The single most effective way to stabilize colonies of such cats is by trap-never-release. This, according to Feral Cat Coalition, is the most cost-effective way to provide the best life for such cats without financially burdening the local government or residents.

    Helping Pets in Need

    • Most private shelters depend on donations and volunteers from the local communities. Such shelters are usually recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as 501 (c-3) charitable organizations, which allows donations to be tax deductible.