A few years ago, I saw celebrity Anna Faris giving an interview in her home. Anna has starred in movies like The House Bunny and the new movie, What's Your Number? In the interview, she picked up her cat, a beautiful white Persian who was also a movie star. She had starred in Stuart Little, and was named Mrs. White after the story's original author.
I remember at the time wanting to reach out to Faris because she mentioned in the interview that Mrs. White had a little trouble "remembering" where the litter box was and suffered from diarrhea. I also had a Persian at the time, and he also suffered from smelly troubles of the behind, sometimes of a lovely green hue.
Persians are notorious for suffering from IBD, inflammatory bowel disease. In my own case, I was able to stop the diarrhea forever by switching my cat to raw food (Nature's Variety, which I purchase from Pet Supplies Plus). Some veterinarians recommend steroids and antibiotics for IBD, however, and since Faris was a rich movie star, I trusted that Mrs. White would get proper care and treatment.
Apparently, I was wrong. Faris is married to TV's Chris Pratt, who plays the dim but lovable Andy Dwyer on Parks and Rec. Dwyer and Faris are about to start a family, and decided that Mrs. White and her runny bum would poo-poo all over their plans. So last week, Chris offered the 19-year-old cat for free over Twitter. According to PeoplePets.com, he then posted on his blog that he was giving the cat away because her bowel habits were incompatible with starting a family.�
Now, I wouldn't go so far as to send Chris death threats like some people did. And I'm not happy that after getting four offers in an hour, he picked someone who admits on Twitter that she is not a cat lover but took the cat because she was "cute."
I will say one thing though: at least Chris reached out rather than dumping a senior kitty at the pound or driving it out to the country and letting it loose.
Imagine being taken from your home and all your comfortable surroundings one day and being tossed in a cage. Now imagine that happening as you are getting older and starting to lose your muscle tone, your sight, or your hearing. Our senior pets deserve the best. They don't deserve to be abandoned in a cage for someone else to worry about because their age has caused them to become inconvenient for us.
This is what happens every day at pounds like the Summit County Animal Control. Senior pets appear, only to be put to sleep after a few days of being passed over for the younger animals.
This is why I am so appreciative of all the local animal rescues that pull pets from pounds. They often take out senior dogs and cats and give them a second chance. One rescue in particular is solely devoted to seniors: the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs in Cleveland.
"I don't know of any other senior organizations in the state," said Deborah Workman, the Sanctuary's Director.
The Sanctuary cares for dogs age seven and older. All the dogs are put into foster homes, and 50% of those dogs live out their lives with a foster parent. They are not put up for adoption due to illness or emotional issues. Of the adoptable seniors, about two find a new home each month.
"The vast majority of our dogs come from pounds and shelters, often from the euthanasia list," said Deborah. "We also take dogs who are not doing well in shelters or pounds regardless of their euthanasia status."
Why Adopt a Senior Pet?
Everyone loves a puppy, but not everyone loves the potty training, chewing and destruction that comes along with raising a puppy. Not everyone even has the energy to match with a puppy, who wants to run and play and explore for hours on end every day. When puppies don't have the opportunity to burn off their energy, they sometimes turn to tearing up furniture and finding escape routes.
The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs has a page on their website full of reasons to adopt a senior dog. Apart from the most obvious reason, saving a life, other benefits of senior pets include the lessons they've already learned, such as what items are for chewing and what aren't, and the fact that they have already been housebroken. They also reserve more time during the day for cuddling and relaxing, perfect for busy households that might tend to leave a dog to its own defenses, or laid-back homes with lots of time to spend with a warm cuddlebum.
Seniors Adopting Seniors
Some shelters offer senior discount programs, like Pawsibilities' Senior to Senior Program, which discounts senior pets to adopters over the age of 60. To help fund the program, the shelter participates in a nationwide non-profit foundation called Pets for the Elderly.
Pets for the Elderly is based in the greater Cleveland area, and funds senior adoptions for over 52 shelters in 29 states.
If you'd like to open up your home to offer a safe, loving space for a pet to enjoy retirement, most local pounds, shelters, and rescues have senior pets available.
The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs holds Adoption�Sunday the last Sunday of each month. Potential adopters can visit their Adoption & Education Center to meet adoptable dogs in person. The center is open from 2-4 pm and is located in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland at 4681 Broadview Road.
Source: http://stow.patch.com/articles/when-senior-pets-get-dumped
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