COVID-19 is making cats disappear - from shelters!
Although the quarantine might not be a particularly fun time for humans, the widespread opinion is that pets are having the time of their lives. With the wide-sweeping stay at home orders and the lack of options for external plans, cats and dogs all over America are experiencing unprecedented quality time with their owners and adding their voices to business calls. Of course, everyone is looking forward to the end of the quarantine, but hanging out with cats has been a great consolation prize for their chosen humans! However, unfortunately, it hasn’t been all upside in the animal kingdom.
Recently a tiger at the Bronx Zoo made the news for testing positive for COVID-19. It’s believed to have caught the virus from its handler. This has led to some consternation among cat owners, who worry that their feline companion may be a carrier for the disease. Fortunately for humans, while cats can become infected with the virus, there isn't a single case of a pet dog or cat infecting a human.
The COVID-19 virus has had massive real-world effects, far beyond the illness’s transmission. The economy has taken a major hit, and this has led to massive layoffs and job loss. This means that many pet parents have been forced to make the gut-wrenching decision to put their animals up for adoption.
Owning a cat is a major responsibility, as anyone who owns a fur baby will tell you, and those who love their kitties know that they bear the financial burden to take care of their pets and give them the life they deserve. For many of those hit hard by the economic downturn, giving up their cat to a better home is one of their only options to offer them the best possible life. It’s tragic but commendable. But there is a silver lining.
It’s common knowledge that New York City has been hit the hardest by COVID-19. People have been forced to hunker down in their homes for their own safety. But they are also adopting animals at an incredible rate! In fact, the quarantine has led to a full-scale shortage of cats and dogs in the Big Apple. And they are not alone. People are incorporating animals into their lives for all sorts of reasons. For some, it’s the routine that will keep them going as they work from home. For others, the isolation has made them crave a companion and a cat is a natural solution. And others have found that they finally have time to train a pet, which has encouraged them to take the plunge.
For those who are craving the companionship of an animal, a cat can be the perfect pet for you. Low maintenance but affectionate and potentially well suited to life indoors, cats are perfect for those who want to have a furry friend in their lives and don't want to deal with the extensive upkeep of other pets. But it’s important that you do your due diligence before you make the decision to adopt.
For that reason, foster programs are a fantastic way to test your ability to own a cat. Most shelters will allow you to take home a kitty to foster for a period of time that will get them out of the shelter and give you the opportunity to bond. If you’re looking into cat adoption, fostering is the perfect first step, and in all likelihood, it will lead to a rescue of a cat in need.