Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week

How old are you?
I am in my mid fourties.  If I were a cat, or dog, in the middle of my life, I would very likely be euthanized rather than put up for adoption.  Most people want kittens or puppies, a few want year old pets, but very few want senior pets.

Senior pets are nearly impossible for shelters to adopt out.  They sometimes are thought to come with baggage, health issues, and the fact that they will not have many long years left.  Few people bother to even consider adopting such an animal.  Because of this, many shelters do not even keep senior pets and they are euthanized without even being given a chance.




Authors old cat, now deceased.  Ginger Bits.


Senior pets actually do have many benefits and are an ideal companion in certain situations:

Senior pets are ideal for senior owners, they are calmer, and do not need as much exercise.  They are usually well mannered and are less likely to jump on, or claw, their owner, than a playful younger pet.  Senior pets generally fit better into the senior persons life, as a senior person may not be able to make a 15 year commitment to adopting a younger pet.

Senior pets are perfect for people who are only in one place for a short time, such as military people who move every few years.

Senior pets are sometimes great for homes with children.  An older dog may be calmer and safer than a young puppy for example.  An older cat will just wander away from a child if it does not want to be bothered, where as kittens will claw to get away.  It should be noted that not all older pets are good with all children, and the manners of the children should be considered too.

Senior pets are well suited to the type of person who has lots of love to give to a companion who needs, and deserves it.

If you are thinking of adopting a pet, I encourage you to consider adopting an adult, or senior pet.  These animals need homes too!

Petfinder.com has named September 17 - 25 as "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" and have asked bloggers to feature some of the types of less adoptable pets, senior pets being the one I have focused on here, but also includes black pets, pit bull dogs, and those with health concerns. 

All pets need loving homes so adopting any pet this week (or at any time) will help, but I urge you to also considering saving the life of a senior animal.

Have a look at PetFinders Gallery of Pets which features only some of the less adoptable pets in shelters today!

Cheetahs as Exotic Pets

Recently in the United Arab Emerates there have been some stories of Cheetahs suffering as exotic pets.  These tales should serve as a warning for anyone considering getting such a wild cat for a pet.

In the UAE, Cheetahs, and other exotic pets, are often kept on the rooftops of buildings, often on chains.  In a recent story which made news May 29, 2011, a Cheetah cub, about seven months old, was found wandering the streets with an injured front paw.  The Al Rahma Animal Welfare and Resuce Society speculates that the big cat's paw was injured in a fall, or jump, from its roof top home.  Additionally it had a metal chain around its neck.  Very likely the cat had been on a chain, which may have broken, or been cut, when the animal fell, or broke some other way.

At any rate the cheetah cub was found in the Karama district of Abu Dhabi, and later sent to a wildlife rescue place.

This cheetah was not the first exotic pet, or big cat, to make news in the area, sadly it is only one of many, including cases where smugglers have been caught with kittens, and and even worse recent case where officials saved two lions from a home where both were suffering in horrid condition as the result of neglect, and abuse.  Both lions had been declawed, as well their teeth had been filed down and had become infected.

Read More on the Cheetah's Rescue and see a Picture.
Al Rahma Animal Rescue in Abu Dhabi - Facebook Page

Over all if you are thinking that a big cat is a good pet... think again.  These cats require a lot of meat, they need a lot of space, and they are dangerous.  Even if well handled they have a potential to harm, as well the human lifestyle is not at all natural for such an animal.  Cheetahs, need to run, they were made to stretch their limbs and run.  They are not status symbols.  A far more suitable pet would be a greyhound, or Bengal Cat.

Adopt the Internet Day

Petfinder.com is using March 15, 2011 as Adopt the Internet Day, a day they plan to "take over" the Internet in an awareness campaign about pet adoption and issues facing homeless pets. 

Petfinder.com is a place where prospective pet adopters can go to find shelters with certain animals for adoption.  They list adoptable cats, dogs, horses, birds, rabbits, reptiles, and even farm animals.  Thus they may even have the exotic pet you are looking for!


On March 15 Petfinder.com is encouraging people to change their Facebook profile picture to one of an adoptable pet.  They ask people to tweet about an adoptable pet, specifically using the hashtag #adopttheinternt.

Until March 15, 2011, pet lovers can visit ICanHasCheeseburger and create a caption for an adoptable pet.

Please support Adopt the Internet Day, and make plans visit Petfinder.com's Special Page, on March 15.  Be sure to tell people about pet adoption on March 15 and encourage them to use Petfinder to locate a shelter near them.

Read How to Adopt a Pet from an Animal Shelter
Read Petfinder Making News

Tigers as Pets

Drawing by Brenda Nelson.©

More Tigers are kept as pets than there are in the wild. Sadly many of these pets do not have ideal, or even marginally good, lives and living conditions. Not only are Tigers an “extreme” exotic pet, they are one that requires a high standard of care, often not met due to the cost and work involved. Tigers are not a house pet, although some people do keep them as such.

Most areas that allow tigers as pets require the owner to have a permit. Sadly having a permit does not account for much in some areas. The high cost of meat means many “Pet” Tigers are malnourished. Tigers are frequently found in bad condition, or not found at all... (the market for Tiger bones is huge in China, but USA has the second largest demand for this commodity).

In some cases people try to breed Tigers specifically for color (to produce “White” Tigers) and this results in inbred animals that have loads of health problems, leaving them in pain, for shortened lifespans.  As well many tiger cubs who are born in effort to produce the rarer white tigers, are killed if they do not have the correct color.

Painting by Brenda Nelson ©  I am Not Tony - on Raven House Publishing

Many people grow up dreaming of one day owning an exotic pet, such as a Tiger, but in truth big cats, such as Tigers, are not “Pets” as we know them. They are wild animals, not domesticated to the level of being considered a “pet”. Many people who own Tigers do so for selfish reasons (to be “cool” or to impress others), as opposed to owning them for the “right” reasons (because they can afford to care for it, provide it with a good life, and because it needs a safe place to live).

The facts are alarming, according to Big Cat Rescue, (the world's largest rescue group for large cats) over 1000 big cats were listed as “unwanted” by their owners over a 10 year period (1999 -2009). The rescue saved 79 of these, while only 19 found other homes.

The same site also mentions that 98% of exotic pets die within 2 years of being brought home as pets. Their site offers more alarming stats on Tigers and other Big Cats.  Here is their page on Wild Tiger information.



Other Links

Facts Regarding Owning Pet Tigers
Other Ways of Having a Pet Tiger