08/28/23 Homeless Cats and Dogs
On the occasion of the International Day of Homeless Animals, Animal Friends Croatia call for responsibility
- Adoption instead of purchase, castration, microchipping, responsible guardianship
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On the occasion of the International Day of Homeless Animals, celebrated since 1992 on every third Saturday in August, Animal Friends Croatia note useful advices so animals would never, in the first place, be left without their homes. „First of all, no one should have a pet if they do not intend to take care of them responsibly and with love. Besides feeding, regular exercise and living in a same household with people and not on a chain or in all weather conditions, responsible care also implies protection from parasites, veterinarian medical care whenever necessary, vaccinations, microchipping and most certainly castration”, Animal Friends Croatia point out.
They clarify that castration, aside from having health benefits for the animal and the castrated animal may live longer, is the most efficient way for prevention of unwanted puppies and kittens. „Soulless individuals who discard their pets’ unwanted off-springs instead of having them castrated are responsible for more than 10,000 abandoned animals in Croatia those the ones only in shelters. With this act they breach the law and financially burden the local authority units that have to pay because of that irresponsibility. The additional problem is that for those large numbers of cats and dogs, quality homes must be found”, say Animal Friends Croatia.
Aside from the necessity of castration, they point out the importance of microchipping that is legally obligatory for the dogs and recommended for the cats. Cats and dogs ending up on the street and not marked by microchip await a tragic destiny. Many of them are injured in traffic, disease and abused and become a burden for the already overloaded associations, shelters and local units.
Animal Friends Croatia say that homeless animals can be helped also in a way so they are not purchased as a gift for Christmas or some other similar occasion – such animals in several months very often end up being discarded. They say that promoting adoption is especially important: „When all would, instead of purchasing select adoption, we would not need to have an International Day of Homeless Animals as all shelters would be empty. If you have the conditions for animal care, adopt a cat or a dog from the shelter or from animal protection association in order to save a life of the adopted animal and of the one who gets their place in a shelter.”
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