Were you ever the last kid picked in gym class? Remember how that felt? There are several of us cats here at Second Chance who feel just like that. Adult cats are a great addition to your family. We have learned our manners, are usually happy lounging in a sunny spot, and don’t stage random attacks (like kittens do). 

For us, friends come and go here at the shelter, but we are still waiting. There is no clear reason for this, and certainly not our fault. We have lovely demeanors, stunning looks and lack any annoying habits. We aren’t sure why we haven’t found our families, so we’re making this plea to you: please give us a chance. Almost everything you’ll read here is true.

What is happening?!? There are kittens downstairs, upstairs, and in the front room right now! And, I just heard the phone ring with another person who has kittens they want to bring in. My caregivers here at the Second Chance Cat Castle need help with all these cute little babies- since most of them are not ready to move to their forever home yet. “Kitten season” is in full swing!

I saw last week’s pet column, “Why Cats are the Best Pets”, and I was confused. Why would anyone question the superiority of canine companionship? When you see all the funny, playful, adorable, loyal dogs here at Second Chance, you might want to adopt them all! Here are just a few of countless reasons why a dog is the very best pet.

Loyalty. Dogs are there for you no matter what you’re going through (unlike a cat or a person). A dog will love you unconditionally. We’re good listeners and will never judge you for confessing your embarrassing secrets. Dogs are there for you.

When you are adding a pet to your family, you might be deciding between a dog or a cat. The choice is obvious- go feline. I have many attractive, playful, loving, and loyal friends here at Second Chance who would be perfect. Why are cats the best? Here are just a few reasons.

Cats are great lap warmers. Whether you’re working at home, reading a good book, looking out the window, lounging on the patio- a cat will be happy sitting right there on your lap. We are champion nappers- most of us sleep up to 16 hours a day! 

You may be wondering (we’ve been asked): Are people truly surrendering the pets they adopted during the pandemic?

We’ve seen reports in newspapers and magazines that shelters are overwhelmed by pandemic pet surrenders and are running out of space and resources. 

Here in our region, we have not experienced a spike in surrenders related to pandemic pets being returned. The vast majority of our adopting families have done their homework, considered the commitment, made an informed decision to add a pet to their home, and are not undertaking adoption on a whim. In fact, we’ve seen no evidence that pets adopted in 2020 or 2021 were returned to us at any higher rate than we typically see.