Month: May 2014

New Cat Adopter Question: Daily walks?

cat-bed-litter-panLike curious children exploring their world, new cat adopters never cease to delight pet adoption counselors with their unusual questions! Even after 15 years of pet adoption counseling, I can still be surprised with what they ask. Last week a new cat adopter who’d had dogs before but not cats, asked, “Do I need to take Fluffy out for daily walks? You know, to go to the bathroom?” I explained that no, Fluffy did not need daily walks! To experienced cat folks, that probably sounds silly, but it was an honest question. The potential adopter  thought that the newspaper and towels lining the cats’ cages was there for the same reason you’d put newspaper down on the floor for a puppy — that was where the cat would go to the bathroom. The metal pans filled with litter in the cats’ cages? With so many cats sleeping in them, he thought they were cat beds!

Pet cats are pretty amazing in how they almost always instinctually will go to the bathroom in a litter filled tray, pan, box, or even – as I’ve seen at some shelters with very restricted budgets and cleaning facilities – on a scoop of cat litter poured onto a newspaper. Cats have an instinct to want to dig with their paws before they go, and then to cover up where they go after. Humans who have tamed cats and taken them into their homes as pets have turned this instinct into their advantage by creating the litter box – the perfect place for a cat to fulfill those instincts.

As for daily walks outside for exercise? Not safe, say our experts — not even on a harness and leash. It may be popular due to a TV show and cute photos on social media, but risks of harm including escape, attacks, and illness far outweigh the benefits even if you have a confident cat you can train to walk on a leash. You can read more in our Train your cat to walk on a leash? article.

Adopting a dog good with kids

dog-good-with-kids“I’m looking for a dog that’s good with kids.” “What dog breeds are good with children?” “Is this dog kid-friendly?” Pet adoptions counselors at animal shelters and rescues get asked those questions time and time again! That despite  that according to the 2012 US Census and Reuters, “While married couples with children were the majority decades ago, now nearly 57 percent of U.S. households are childless.” That may be because though you don’t have your  children in your home currently, perhaps you’re planning on having them, or perhaps you have grandchildren, or other relatives or friends that have kids that visit, and you’d like a dog who will enjoy being around them as you do. So how do you find a dog to adopt who’s good with kids? Read on…

Since every dog is an individual, even within the same breed, finding a dog or puppy to adopt that is good with YOUR children is a highly individualized search.

Breed? Does breed matter? Certainly, breed plays a genetic role in a pet’s personality and therefore suitability for your children. You can check out what the experts (breed rescuers) have to say about how their breed often does with children in our Dog Breed Information section at http://www.adoptapet.com/dog-breeds

Age? Which is better to adopt if you have kids: a puppy, young, adult, or senior dog? All ages of dogs have their advantages and disadvantages to consider. Puppies will almost definitely need training like housebreaking, not to jump up,  not play bite , and not to chew up their toys or grab on to their clothes. Puppies get their adult teeth starting at around four months of age — before that they have razor-sharp baby teeth! Puppies can be unintentionally traumatized by young children who can pinch them too hard in just a second, even when closely supervised — then you’ll end up with an adult dog who may be frightened of children. Puppies are also lot of work! (See our Puppy Manual to get an idea.) Small breed puppies can be very fragile, easily hurt or even accidentally killed if picked up and dropped by a child. It does make for some adorable photos as puppies grow up with children, but adult dogs growing up with kids can be incredibly photogenic too! If you have younger children, you may want to consider adopting a young or adult dog. When you meet the dog, have him or her interact with your children and see if the dog is already trained not to jump up, not to bite, and generally seems to enjoy interacting with your kids. Ask the shelter or rescue staff or volunteer if they know anything about the dog’s history with children. Obviously you should never leave any dog or puppy unsupervised with children – see why here.

Energy level? Just like every kid is an individual, so is every dog. Some kids are more quiet and gentle. Others are loud and enthusiastic! Of course supervision and parenting plays a huge role in how a child interacts with a pet. Some dogs are more quiet and gentle, and they may might prefer quieter children, while other dogs are energetic and enthusiastic, and  would enjoy kids that likes to run around! Even within a breed there can be a wide range of energy levels dog to dog. This is another advantage to adopting an adult dog: you’ll have a better chance of knowing what their energy level will be for most of their life with you.

History? One concern some potential adopters have is a rescued pet may have an unknown history. But some shelters and many rescues will have pets in foster homes, often for many weeks to months before you meet them. Many rescues have pets in foster homes with children. This is a great way to know if the pet is more likely to be good with kids like are in their foster home! Even in a shelter, if you are an experienced pet owner and are able to have your kids interact with the pet in a play yard or meeting room, especially if you can have a professional trainer/behaviorist come with you for an expert opinion, you can get a good idea of how the pet interacts with your kids.

You may have a few other criteria, such as you want a small dog because your landlord has a restriction, or a large dog for a hiking buddy, so you could start by running a search on www.Adopt-a-Pet.com for all breeds (leave breed as “ANY”) and select “small” or “large” or any of the other criteria that match your search. In the search results, click on the pets that appeal to you, and then you can see if they say  “good with kids” in their My Info section. Just because it doesn’t say that doesn’t mean they aren’t! Asking the shelter or rescue, or going to meet the pet in person will help you and your family find the best match of a pet to adopt for you and the kids in your life.

DIY Feral Cat Shelters

CorrokittyOur friends over at Hausepanther brought these genius ideas to our attention: Do It Yourself feral cat structures you can make from recycled political yard signs! Or brand new Coroplast plastic if you’d rather choose a solid color scheme. The creator is a industrial design student from Houston, Texas named Chris Peterson. Chris calls his awesome kitty habitats Corrokitty and it’s not just one design either, but quite a selection! We can’t decide if we like the Barrel Cat with its cute little ears and feet best, or one of the hexagon designs. We love the modern simplicity of the folded box styles too! Even Chris’ research is summed up in a pretty little infographic. Our hats are off to anyone compassionate enough to take on the responsibility for caring for one or more feral cats, and folks like Chris who use inguinity (and a great sense of style) to make that caretaking not only cheaper, but nice-looking too! Chris writes on his Corrokitty blog, “If you are interested in purchasing a Corokitty kit or making one as a DIY project please email me at ckpeterson@uh.edu. I would also love to know what you think about the shelter.” We’re sure the feral caretakers and their kitties appreciate it.