Reply #56: I sympathize with the emotion, but that does not change the reality [View All]

[TechBear_Seattle]

Wow, it feels very odd that I would use that statement against someone else, seeing how often it has been used against me. But I digress....

The reality is that space, food and water are all limited, and providing resources for a cat or dog, no matter how beloved, means fewer resources for everyone else. When you begin to factor in the family with three Bouviers or the elderly woman who has five cats for company, it becomes a problem.

Add in the very real concern that while your animal companion might be well behaved in a crowd of unknown people in a stressful situation, someone else's might not be. Would you want to be sleeping in a YMCA shelter with an unspayed male cat that is spraying everything? An elderly dog with continence problems? A puppy that has not yet been housebroken and still chews on everything that smells interesting?

It is sad, yes, but there is not much that can be done. If you have friends who can take in your pets at a time like this, great. If you don't, there are few options.