Last summer, a friend and I were walking back to his place when we noticed a large box sitting in the middle of his lawn. Inside of it, we found about a dozen kittens that could not have been older than just a few weeks old. They were obviously left by somebody hoping someone else would take care of their problem.
We briefly debated about keeping them all for ourselves – after all, having a team of cats seemed like a pretty cool idea at the time.
After realizing that neither of us were capable of taking care of all of them, we were faced with the next question. What were we going to do with all these kittens?
It happens every year, while thousands of Normanites go embark on summer adventures; some pets don’t get to make journey with their owners and get left behind to fend for themselves.
Some of the smarter ones make it up to Campus Corner, where they can hopefully get scraps of food from restaurants. Others may find a pet friendly homeowner that will take care of them, but most just end up roaming around neighborhoods.
There are many explanations as to why an owner may no longer be able to keep their pet. Perhaps they did not realize just how expensive being a pet owner is, or are moving into a new place that doesn’t allow animals.
Maybe it could be like when we found those kittens, where a new litter all of a sudden means that instead of one animal you are taking care of ten.
There is nothing wrong with simply not wanting a pet anymore, but whatever the reason is that you may need to get rid of your pet, the worst option you could do is abandon them.
Put yourself in the position of the animal.
For years, you have been protected in this nice, little home, never having to search to food. Then all of a sudden, you’re left in the not-so-great outdoors, no shelter to protect you from the hot sun or the bitter rain, having no idea where your next meal is coming from and that is all while trying to avoid cars driving down the street.
If you’re a pet owner and you do need to get rid of your pet, your last responsibility needs to be making sure that pet has a home.
Ask a friend or put up fliers, you never know when someone has been thinking of getting a pet, and after all you’re offering one that has already been trained to live in a home.
If you cannot take care of them anymore and you have run out of options, your next best alternative is to find an animal shelter.
Across Norman, there are at least four different animals shelters that will take your pets. These are not the pounds you hear horror stories from, where the ugly dog that no one wants to take care of eventually gets put down. At these shelters not only will they find your pet a good owner, but also take care of them until they find a home for them. Which is a lot better than simply putting them out on the street.
Pets can be a big responsibility, but also have great rewards. Getting one is making a commitment for years to take care of them. It is more than simply a fun thing to have in the house.
If you think you may be one of those owners to leave, then perhaps the best option is simply to not get a pet.
As for the kittens we found, we did take care of them for a few days, and even found one of them a home, before giving them to an animal shelter.
Hopefully, they are all sitting in cozy little homes right now – and if you ask me – that is a lot better of a situation than when we found them.
-Dara Mirzaie is an economics senior.
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majid 2 years, 11 months ago
the only cat i like is garfield, meow.