Writer Feature: Why I Support Animal Adoption

Editor’s Note: Please welcome to our writer roster, Grace Donald! Grace is a history major at Texas State University San Marcos with a sociology minor who is the mom of cat Mila.

I have been drawn to cats for as long as long as I can recall. Whether this is due to their charm, their independence, or contrary to many people’s opinions, their capacity for affection, I have always had an affinity for cats. Despite my mother’s allergies to pet hair, her ability to withstand my constant begging for a cat when I was a child could only last so long. She finally gave in when I was around the age of ten and allowed my brother and I to adopt two cats. We picked out two kittens from the shelter and named them Muffin and Snowflake. This marked the beginning of what I feel constitutes part of my identity; being a pet owner. Since then I have owned three more cats and have become a huge advocate of adopting rather than shopping.

I am currently the owner of a three year old calico named Mila. I jokingly refer to her as my daughter because, although she is just a cat and obviously not truly my daughter, that’s the best way I could describe the depth of my love for her. As silly as that may sound, I’m sure many of you pet owners can relate! I feel so lucky for having found her, as she is one of the most affectionate cats I have ever known. She loves to cuddle with me, follows me around everywhere, and typically responds to her name, unlike most cats. She is one of those cats who could make any dog person question their preferences!

I adopted Mila through an organization in my hometown called PALS, which stands for Prevent a Litter. This organization employs foster families throughout the area to look after cats and dogs that need homes until they find one. I definitely advocate adopting from organizations like these over buying from corporate pet stores which, in my opinion, don’t really deserve the business of those looking to adopt a pet. Many of these corporations are notorious for breeding their animals in unacceptable conditions. In the case of shelters and organizations like PALS, however, the animals they have for sale are often former strays or were abandoned prior to being taken in by the shelter. I find this method of adoption to be much more ideal as there are so many strays in our country that need homes. Many of them will be subject to euthanasia if they are not adopted after a certain period of time and there is no reason for corporations to be breeding more animals when we already have such a surplus.

The foster family working for PALS from whom I adopted Mila obviously cared about their job. They had plenty of pets of their own and were clearly veterans at caring for and understanding animals. When I went to their home to pick out a kitten, they had a litter of kittens for sale that was still quite young. Despite the young age of the kittens, the foster family had a general idea of what each one would be like as it grew into a cat. The knowledge they had to share regarding the different personalities of each kitten was what helped me realize that Mila was the right pick for me. They predicted that Mila would grow up to be an affectionate mama’s girl, and they were exactly right, which I am so thankful for.

I have a number of friends who took the same approach that I did and adopted their pets from shelters. Many of these friends have relayed to me that the shelter they adopted from exhibited a level of care for and knowledge of the animals they were sheltering that was equivalent to the foster family I adopted Mila from. Because of this, and because there are so many animals out there who need homes, I will always advocate for adopting over shopping. If it weren’t for my decision to do so, I wouldn’t be the luckiest mother in the world!