Common Terms Associated with Animal Shelters

If you are looking for a pet, skip the pet store and head over to an animal shelter. Before looking for your new dog or cat there are some animal shelter terms that you should become familiar with.

Abuse - Pet rescuers save dogs and cats from abusive situations and owners. They will often rescue them when an owner has been abusive, hurtful and neglectful to an animal. Animal abuse is prevalent in puppy mills and when pets are allowed to keep having unwanted litters, and it is imperative that these puppies and kittens be rescued and sent to a loving home.

Adopt - To take care of an animal as one's own. Animal shelters allow people to adopt puppies and kittens for little to no cost.

Animal Shelter - A facility where stray animals can wind up after being found on the street, rescued or given up by their owners. Foster homes are used at times for these animals so that they do not have to be put to sleep or until they are ready for adoption.

Breeding - Reproducing offspring. People should have their pets neutered or spayed to avoid accidental breeding and unwanted offspring. This is the main cause of strays that is unfair to the pets.

Stray - A pet that roams or wanders without a definite home. Dogs and cats become strays after being abandoned by their original owners, or lost.

Working Cats -  unsocialized cats who are not household companions and are happiest living outdoors. They help control rodent populations and are safest in areas such as warehouses, barns, and working farms.