What makes a pet less adoptable?

What makes a pet less adoptable?

 

 

‘A whopping 95% of rescues surveyed currently have pets they would define as “hard to adopt”, 33% of shelters say they’ve had pets posted on their sites for one to two years and 27% admit they’ve had pets waiting for more than two years for their forever family. The typical pet spends about 12 weeks up on a site before finding a new home, but the profiles of “less adoptable” pets spend nearly four times as long on pet adoption sites.’

One of a Kind Pet Rescue

 

The third week of September, this year the 20th - 26th, is a week dedicated to raising awareness about the pets who get left in rescue centres because they are deemed ‘less adoptable’. We all know that puppies and kittens are appealing to all and will be chosen over other animals who are older or have a health condition. There isn’t a whole lot we can do about this, but we can talk about what these stigmas are and why they don’t need to be there!

 

Senior animals

 

The age of an animal plays a massive role in their ‘adoptability’. Those looking to bring a new pet into their home worry that they might have more complicated health problems already or will arise quickly, that they have learnt traits that might not be wanted and might be difficult to change and unfortunately, that these animals won’t be with them for as long as they want.

 

Older pets are actually a great choice, especially for new owners! These animals know the ropes and are looking for somewhere to relax and retire. They’ll likely teach you more about pet care than you ever thought possible. You’ll also be providing that pet with a beautiful space as they age. Check out our article: Why Adopt a Senior Pet? To learn more about taking on a senior pet!

 

The black cats

 

As we head towards Halloween, the black cat superstition becomes even more prominent. There’s a variety of reasons why this specific coat colour gets a bad name and it’s truly undeserved. These animals are just the same as any other they just have a very deep, dark and often silky coloured coat that makes some turn their nose up at them - none of it’s true, if anything, you should always adopt a black cat!

 

This topic is so huge we wrote two entire articles on it: The truth about the Black Cat and Why do rescue shelters struggle to rehome black and white cats?

 

Bonded Pairs

 

Sometimes unfortunate events occur and people have to give their animals up. If they’re brothers or sisters or have been living together for an extended period of time, rescue shelters believe it’s unfair to split them up because of the distress it can cause (we think everyone agrees with this!) Unfortunately, that means that people are less likely to adopt them because it involves looking after two animals. The plus side of this is that these pairs are great companions. Should you be in a household that they need to be left on their own, they’re much more likely to be happier with each other than if someone does adopt a solo pet.

 

 

 

 

 

Special Needs

 

Many animals end up in shelters because their needs are more than what their owner can cope with. This can be from dietary, to medical, to old age. It just means they need a little bit of extra care, but they make amazing pets because of this unique bond.

 

Here’s some really interesting information on Deaf Pet Awareness!

 

All animals are one of a kind. Whether they’ve got a bad reputation from their breed, they have an unwanted behavioural problem or they need some extra medical help, they’ll still be the kindest and most compassionate members of the family. If you want to help these animals, share ours and everyone else’s posts to keep the conversation going that these animals deserve a home as much as anyone else!

 

 

If you’re thinking about adopting, check out our guide here: Pet Adoption: Where Should I Start?