
You may be contemplating adding a new pet to your household. In fact, you may even have your heart set on a certain breed instead of going to your local animal shelter. However, there are so many animals from puppies, kittens to senior pets just waiting for the chance of a loving home that you could rescue before their allotted time may run out. Naturally, most of us can’t help but be drawn to those sweet furry baby faces of the puppies and the kittens, but adoption of a senior pet often has more benefits that you may have overlooked. Therefore, here’s why you should take senior pet adoption more seriously.
The senior pet has less chance of getting out of that cage alive than the younger furry inmates in that animal shelter. Let’s face it, the older we get, the more problems age brings to complicate life. Our pets are no different from us. Though true in that respect, it is also true that a senior pet is probably housebroken compared to dealing with a puppy that needs to be housebroken and taught good behavior such as chewing on your shoes. Instead of buying potty pads and constantly moping up after puppy accidents, your senior pet may just bark and wait by your door when it is bathroom time.
Honestly, I believe the senior pet is more appreciative after adoption than a kitten or puppy from what I observed from own experience comparing behaviors. The kitten or puppy can use their cuteness to manipulate the family more. The senior pet seems to have a better personality overall often than what I would describe more often as your spoiled furry kid that you raised. After all, the senior pet knows that you picked him or her from out of all the others.
You also may be of the opinion that senior pet adoption only means that your heart will be broken when the animal dies that much sooner. This does have some merit, but age often doesn’t dictate how long we live. I had a puppy that died when the time came for neutering after the procedure. All I can say is we can’t predict how long a life is, but isn’t a little happiness better with that special new friend than none at all? Life is unpredictable and offers no guarantees regardless of how much we want them.
Another benefit of senior pet adoption is the price to adopt is greatly reduced. I don’t where you live, but the prices to adopt at the local shelter in my area are $200 for a puppy or a kitten, $85 for an adult dog or cat and $50 for a senior pet.
With how crowded the animal shelters are, I think that the senior pet adoption fees should be void. If that were the case, I really do think more wonderful animals would find loving homes especially with so many senior citizens that often can’t afford that extra fee. After all, pets make ideal companions and bring happiness into lives of all they touch.
You bring up a lot of great points. Most people want a puppy or kitten and over look the seniors. We adopted a senior cat a few years ago and he was very loving. We just lost him 3 weeks ago but he was 23 and lived a full life.
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Sorry to hear that. You’re lucky that he lived so long. It also broke my heart when my old senior cat died with all the time that I spent with her.
I am sure it is extremely rewarding to adopt a senior pet. The shelters have plenty to choose from.