My foster cat, Grey, was brought to me last night from the local shelter. She had been brought in by her owner back in Oct because she didn't get along with the other house animals. She promptly escaped and had been hiding out in the shelter since. Two weeks ago they found her, a terrified skinny kitty. She had been deemed as "unadoptable" because she didn't show well. The only way anyone could touch her was to make her a towel-wrapped burrito. I was up for the challenge since I love the grumpy kitties. Was I in for a shock!! I gave her a little time to check out the room then went in to see how she was doing and to give her some pain medication. (Was spayed on Thursday.) I was prepared to do battle, but approached in a calm manner. She allowed me to pick her up! I put a towel loosely around her so she wouldn't get away while I was medicating her. I didn't have any problems with the meds. Afterwards, she curled up in my lap! She allowed me to pet her for quite some time. I was even able to brush her, which she absolutely loved! She stayed on my lap for a good 20 minutes, purring the whole time, asking for more lovin's. I guess she was just terrified at the shelter which made her defensive.
So if you are considering a new pet, please, PLEASE, check your local shelters... many wonderful animals there. Also, when looking at the animals, think how you would feel trapped in a cage without a clue as to what is going on. Sometimes, the really wonderful animals don't show well, they don't know if you are going to hurt them or what. Some may have spent time on the streets, getting things thrown at them or at the very least yelled at. If at all possible, see if you could foster some animals, give them a chance to find their forever homes.
Also, if you are like me and spend much time on the computer, take a few minutes and check sites like Craig's List and such for missing/lost pets, then check your shelter's web page and see if you can find any matches. Wouldn't it be great to help our little furry friends find their homes again?! My dog Abel got out last month and someone did this for me.... that is how I got involved.
Thanks for reading... I hope you think about my words. Doesn't really take all that much to help out. :)