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Approximately 44% of all households in the U.S. have at least one dog and 35% have at least one cat. In York, at one pet per household, we would expect about 1,138-1,405 cats and dogs. The problems we currently see is the amount of strays we are currently getting in our shelter.
A few have compromised health conditions. They are malnourished, wounded, severely injured, lethargic, and have worms, fleas and ticks. Most require being spayed or neutered. We have all seen or experienced a stray dog or cat running loose. Most of us have experienced our own animal missing at least once in our lifetime. All these strays were once someone’s pet. A pet may become two types of strays – accidental or unsupervised.
The accidental stray has unintentionally gotten loose. It seems our pets can be very clever and find ways out of the house or a fenced yard by knowing what or who is the weakest link to their escape. Any incident, for example, a leash or collar coming off, any chaos in the home or car, a door or gate not secure, a fence or window with an opening can cause this stray. They are your typical indoor only dog or cat. The dogs are let outside to do their business or indoor cats are unsupervised and not used to running at large. They will be curious but are fearful of their new surroundings.
The second group of strays are the cats and dogs that are unfortunate enough to be let outside unsupervised. Their owners hope they return safely but are unaware of the all dangers that are waiting. They run at-large daily. In most situations, the dogs and cats are not scared or curious, but rather cautious of others. The outdoors has become an unsafe home. At best they become a nuisance in the neighborhood, at worst they will die. It’s not a coincidence their life span is significantly shorter than that of an indoor-only pet.It is not a matter of if something traumatic happens to them but when. This is the reality that shelters and veterinarians deal with daily — injured and sick strays. These stray cats and dogs may have parasites and sicknesses, and been injured by vehicles, weather elements, humans and other predators.
Strays, regardless of the situation, will get parasites if not treated. They are searching for anything to eat to drink to survive. They will usually eat or drink something that will kill them. We have received cats and kittens with so many fleas, that the water looked like blood when bathing them. A small stray dog was so severely covered with ticks it didn’t make it.
Cats can become sick with conjunctivitis, pneumonia, swollen lymph nodes and bronchitis. They can also get feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV).Also, rabies, ringworm and bartonella can all be transmitted to humans. Stray dogs can get canine parainfluenza, leptospirosis, distemper and parvo. And, like cats, they can get rabies and ringworm.
Strays also get hit by vehicles or can cause an accident because the driver swerved to avoid hitting it. Our four-legged friends are very quick, and can run out from anywhere, in a blink of an eye. They in turn get hit by a vehicle who couldn’t stop in time. It’s very traumatic to the driver and the passengers to hear the thud and the yelp and cries from the animal if it wasn’t killed instantly. The driver and passengers now have that memory forever. There is not much we or a veterinarian can do for a broken back, hip or neck. And, nothing is more fearful towards the animal than a stranger trying to pick them up off the road while they are in so much pain.
Weather elements are a huge issue with pets. I have seen a dog’s paws and tail frozen to the street while cars were driving on both sides of them. This required part of the tail to be amputated and the paws had frostbite. We currently have a cat whose frozen ears nearly came off. We recently received a cat that had been trapped in a garage for two weeks. Imagine your poor cat trying to get out of the summer heat only to get cooked inside a neighbor’s garage. Heat and humidity will cause your pets to have heat stroke, brain damage, organs shutting down and death. Colder temperatures will cause hyperthermia, dehydration, frostbite and death. Cats will also climb into the engine block to stay warm. We get pets that have traveled miles in a car, truck or trailer. These pets were lucky they found a secure part of the vehicle to hide. There is never a good temperature to leave your pet outside unsupervised.
Humans will steal your friendly dog or cat. They keep it for themselves or may sell it to others for various reasons. They may sell it for bait for animal fighting, used in experiments and research. Humans will also abuse your stray pet. Some adults and teenagers are cruel enough to hurt your pet especially if they find it on their property. Some pets get hit by vehicles or run over on purpose. They are then left to die alone on the streets or in a ditch. They also get set on fire, have aerosols spayed in their orifices, hung, shot, drowned, kicked, beaten.
Stray pets also have to fend for themselves against any natural predators. These would include large birds, foxes, coyotes, or other bigger dogs and cats. They will try to kill your pet. If your small dog or cat is left outside to defend themselves from a predator, it will lose that battle. We have gotten many cats in our shelter who looked like they had been in many fights. Their temperament and behavior was always defensive and usually they tend to be the aggressor towards our other shelter cats. It’s simple to understand that any cat or dog who is an aggressor has had to fight to survive. When your outdoor cat or dog goes missing, it’s probably lost the battle to a healthier, bigger, stronger cat or dog.
As a warning, not everyone likes pets and not everyone likes other people’s pets. In fact, 56% of households do not have a pet. It’s their choice. Do not let your pet run at-large because the result is your pet will suffer the consequences. When we get a stray that is covered by parasites, been hit by a vehicle, been frozen to the streets, or been abused it is very emotional. We know this pet deserved better.
We get approximately 400 stray dogs and cats each year. Only 16% of cats and about 80% of dogs are reclaimed, which leaves well over 100 cats and dogs unclaimed. What seems really strange is that most of the cats that go missing and the owners search for them – they aren’t found. Yet we get hundreds of missing cats that are not claimed each year. Keep your pets inside and supervise them when they are outside. Don’t let them be one of our stories we tell. It’s heartbreaking for us and very traumatic for the pets who are purposefully let outside to fend for themselves daily.
I have given many examples why you shouldn’t let them roam freely. It’s up to you to change how you care for your pet, so we don’t have to care for it in the end. It’s not a question of if your pet will become a stray statistic. The question is what will happen to your pet. Pictured our some of our successful strays who overcame their suffering, some that are living with their trauma.
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