Writer Feature: Why I Adopt

Editor’s Note: Please welcome to our writer roster, Rena Carman! Rena is a Communication Studies major at Rider University with an English writing concentration minor who lives in New Jersey with her cat Smudge.

At a party you can always find me on the floor with whatever pet the host happens to have. At my parent’s house, I have a cat or dog following me around at all times. Sadly, at college, animals aren’t allowed in the dorms, so I have to live in a pet-free home.

Animals are important to me. Growing up, there was always a furry companion by my side. There is a specific kind of connection and happiness animals bring into our lives.

My boyfriend and I recently took in a kitten from my cousin’s cat, who had been a stray. While I didn’t adopt from a shelter, had I been in the market for a cat, I would have gone there first. My cousin called me and asked if I could take a kitten since she didn’t have space in her cramped apartment for more than one cat. It was a split second decision followed by a drive to Brooklyn, but now my boyfriend and I have the sweetest cat I have ever owned.

Driving home, she tried to escape from her carrier so could sit with me. Once outside her carrier, she laid on my chest and fell asleep. It was one of the happiest moments I’ve ever had and I decided to name her Smudge. Smudge lives with my boyfriend and I go visit her every chance I get since she can’t live with me yet. I can’t wait until she can live with me!

Saving homeless pets is something my family loves to do. Once, my dad found his cat under a porch and took her home. She could have ended up in a shelter had he left her. While this would not necessarily have been a bad thing, with euthanasia rates being so high she might not have made it out of the shelter.

There are so many lovely pets in shelters who need a home. I once saw a St. Bernard in a shelter because its owners returned it for drooling too much. A St. Bernard is a big dog with floppy lips … how could they expect it not to drool? By adopting, people can fix the mistakes of those who are ignorant when it comes to animals and provide love to a pet who needs and deserves it.

Adopting a pet from a shelter also gives the shelter money so it can continue to provide a haven for homeless pets and to continue other services such as spaying/neutering, microchipping, or routine check-ups. Adoption not only helps the animal you adopt, it helps other animals too!

Every animal I’ve had brought light into my life. Seeing animals in too-small cages instead of in a nice house is unbearable. Adopting is something I advocate strongly for and will continue to promote.

Getting an animal from a shelter isn’t just adoption, it’s saving a life.