caring for an elderly dog
About Me
caring for an elderly dog

When your dog doesn't seem interested in eating his food, do you know what to do? When your dog vomits often, could there be something serious wrong with him? If he struggles to get up the stairs, does he need to see a vet? Having never owned an older dog, I knew nothing about the things that can begin to go wrong when dogs age. I adopted this guy when my neighbor moved into a nursing home and had to learn a lot about how to care for an older dog. My blog is filled with the many things that I have learned over the last year through the help of my vet.

Tags

caring for an elderly dog

Great Ways To Support Your Local Cat Shelter

Lucy Grant

Late spring and early summer are the "kitten" months for any cat shelter. Cats have their litters at that time, and people without the time or desire to take care of them, bring the kittens into the shelters for adoption. Many shelters can use additional support during the summer months. Monetary donations are always welcomed, but here are few different ways to help out your local cat shelter.

Help With Pet Food Donations

One of the constant expenses for any cat shelter is food. They strive to give the cats a high-quality diet. Some cats may require special diets for health reasons. Donations of pet food are always appreciated.

Set up donation boxes in pet food stores and veterinarian clinics to collect food for the shelter. Talk to the vet that works with the shelter and find out what specialty foods the shelter needs for the cats with health problems. Check the boxes each week and deliver the donations to the shelter.

Foster a Cat

Pet fostering is a way to help kittens become more accustomed to people so the cats can be adopted out. You'll take one or more kittens home for several weeks. Besides providing food and water, and the litter box cleaning schedule, you'll make time to play with each cat to get to know their personalities. You'll then be able to report back to the shelter a little about each cat so they can match them with the right family when it's time to put the cat up for adoption. Shelters that have a fostering program will provide you with the training you need to get started with your first kitten.

Work in a Spay and Neuter Clinic

Some shelters offer low or no-cost spay and neutering to cats whose owners can't afford to have this done at a local animal hospital. The shelter may offer this on a particular day of the week, one day a month, or as a one-time special depending on the needs in the community. You can volunteer to help with various tasks from checking people in to getting the cats prepared for the vet doing the surgery.

Volunteer for the Feral Cat Program

Some shelters offer services to help control the population of feral cats in the community. This typically consists of capturing the feral cats, having them spayed or neutered, then releasing them back into their population. Capturing these cats takes training and experience, but you can help with transportation of the cat to and from the shelter.

If you love cats and would like to find a way to help out your local cat shelter, ask them about one of these opportunities or visit sites like http://www.1stPetVet.com for more information. Shelters often need help in a variety of areas and they will be glad that you want to volunteer your time.


Share