Gimme Shelter (Animals!)

    I live with Emmitt Smith. And Lucy Liu. They get along great, except for when Lucy scares Emmitt and he chases her around the house. Emmitt and Lucy are cats. Shelter cats, my favorite kind. Both came from Furburbia  a rescue facility here in Park City. They get what they believe are highly adoptable dogs and cats from shelters that euthanize and animal control facilities and keep them til they get homes.  ALL of them get adopted, no matter how long it takes. Emmitt, who’s 9 years old, had been at Furburbia for 7 months, Lucy, who’s supposedly 7, for 5 months. After having them as part of my “family,” I can’t imagine how anyone had these animals for years and took them to a place where they most likely would have been euthanized. I try, try, try not to be judgmental about people, but this is incomprehensible to me. So, not judging, but appalled!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I’ve had what some people would consider throwaway cats my whole life. Most came from shelters. One, Pee Wee Jimmie Johnson, somehow got into my backyard (over, under, or through a 6-foot fence). Another, Simon, wandered into a rocking party as a flea-bitten tiny kitten, and walked right up to us. You THINK you’re picking your pet, but animals always pick you.

I’ve adopted a few kittens, but lately, I’ve chosen adult cats. I know they have a harder time getting adopted (see: Emmitt, Lucy), and really, cats are only kittens for a few months. I figure this way, too, I can see their personalities and I can tell they’re grateful to have a safe home (even though Emmitt has become quite the escape artist. When he sees me coming in with a bike, he makes his move!)

   I’ll always find my furry pals from a shelter (unless they find me first), because shelters are heartbreakingly full of animals. The ASPCA says 5 to 7 MILLION companion animals are turned in to shelters in the U.S. every year, and 3 to 5 MILLION of them are euthanized. Roll that around in your head and your heart for a minute. The ASPCA also says only 10-percent of animals in shelters come in spayed or neutered, which is, of course, the heart of the pet overpopulation problem. Here’s the soapbox: Get your animals fixed. Support spay and neuter programs. Adopt a shelter animal and save a life.

Then you, too, can tell stories like how you saw Emmitt Smith chase Lucy Liu under the bed. You’ll get the scoop way before TMZ has it.