Many vegans choose to adopt or rescue pets that animal shelters would have euthanized had they not stepped in. This practice saves the lives of animals and many vegans love it because it gives them the opportunity to save animals. Having adopted a cat from an animal shelter, here’s a couple of essential things I learned in the process. Knowing these things will make it easier for you.
Key Takeaways
1. Choose Your Adopted Pet Carefully
Not all animals will be right for every vegan. Owning a pet for vegans can sometimes bring up moralistic issues, but many agree that adopting or rescuing animals that would have died at the shelter is a good thing.
According to a report (1) from the ASPCA, the organization estimates the number of animals that die in shelters every year in the United States at around 920,000.
With that in mind, not every pet will be right for everyone, and you need to consider things before adopting them.
For example, adopting a snake from the animal shelter would force you to feed it mice—some feed snakes live mice to simulate hunting—vegans may struggle hugely with the cruelty of this, depending on their beliefs.
Another example would be if you adopted a cat. Not every vegan wants to feed cats meat-based cat food, but cats are obligate carnivores, which makes it harder to feed them a vegan alternative.
Some people will simply give them regular food, but it’s important to understand your personal convictions ahead of time so that you can do this without feeling bad.
Besides the moral reasons, you also need to think about what animal will fit with your personality the best. For example, a lively and energetic dog might be perfect for one person but a nightmare for the next.
Before you adopt the pet, you might spend time with it in the designated area, which many shelters have. Doing this for a while will give you a sense of that animal’s personality and temperament.
You need to think about your home as well. A studio apartment for a big dog can become a bad match, so you want to think about these things ahead of time.
2. Fill out the Adoption Application
Most animal shelters will require you to fill out an adoption application with basic information like your name, address, and phone number. They will also ask questions about your past experience with animals and what your current living situation looks like.
They do this to protect the animals being adopted and ensuring that they will go to a responsible and loving home. After you fill out the form, you typically need to meet with an adoption counselor.
This person will review your application and ask you further questions to ensure that you would be the right choice for this animal.
The amount of care given here is because every year, 6.5 million animals wind up abandoned or lost, and they wind up going to animal shelters across the country, according to The Zebra (2). This extra care before the adoption reduces the risk.
Before you adopt an animal, the counselor will also cover potential health or behavioral problems the animal might have. For example, the dog you want to adopt may have been in an abusive home in the past, so you would need to avoid doing certain things.
3. Paying the Adoption Fee
The adoption fee for animals will vary greatly depending on the organization that you choose, but it ranges anywhere from $50 to $500.
Puppies and kittens normally cost more than older pets, and dogs will usually cost more to adopt than cats. Other things that can determine a higher adoption fee would include things like the breed and medical care required.
In most cases, the adoption fee will cost well under what you’d pay at a pet store.
They typically charge an adoption fee because it allows them to continue providing for other animals in the shelter. The things included in an adoption fee will normally be things like:
4. Prepare Your Home for Your Rescued Pet
One of the important steps in the adoption process, you need to prepare the home for your new rescued pet. You want your new furry friend to feel comfortable in its environment, and this means you must take action to ensure that they will experience a safe environment free from hazards that could harm them.
Examples of where to pet-proof your home include things like small objects your pet could choke on, toxic plants, plastic bags, household chemicals, strings, and human medications.
You should also beware of if you have a balcony because your pet could fall from the balcony.
If you have other pets in the home, you will want to introduce them to each other slowly. To avoid fighting or aggression, you might introduce them with some type of barrier in the beginning like with a closed door.
Many animals thrive off routine, so you may want to establish a schedule that will make your rescued animal feel more comfortable and secure in their environment. Many animals like cats and dogs don’t like significant changes, and it can make them feel insecure.
Final Thoughts
Many vegans choose to rescue animals or adopt them since it avoids the exploitation of animals while saving them from suffering in animal shelters where they may ultimately be euthanized. For those concerned about having to feed meat to an animal, you might rescue animals that eat a more vegan diet like guinea pigs or bunnies.
Loving animals is what pet adoption is all about and caring for pets that may not have had a good home if you hadn’t chosen to make a difference in their lives.
(1) https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
(2) https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/pet-adoption-statistics/
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