If you find a stray, contact an association that takes care of them , be careful because municipal kennels very often hold animals in very poor conditions and may kill the strays after a certain time, or even illegally sell them to vivisection laboratories.
Plaster over with signs the area where you found the animal, with a picture and a description of the animal, and get informed if it belongs to somebody in the neighbourhood.
When you find an animal, try to observe his physical conditions from the distance, then approach him gently and carefully, if necessary bring him to the closest vet.
Never buy cats or dogs, remember that in the kennels there’s always an animal waiting to be adopted.
If you have a pet make sure he has an identification code according to your country’s customs, usually it’s a tattoo or a microchip. If you don’t have a dog and cat registry in your country, then use at least a metal tag with the name of the animal, your address and telephone number in case it should get lost.
Straying prevention and useful tips
Sterilising cats and dogs, although it may seem an abuse on the animal’s nature, is very important to prevent the stray phenomena. Undesired litters’ destiny is often death or abandonment. Sterilisation suppresses the sexual instinct and therefore prevents from escapes when animals are on heat, reducing the risk of losing one’s cat or dog. Furthermore it’s the only effective prevention against breast cancer.
Prevention is also the best measure: if you want a pet work it out very well if you will be able to keep this commitment; taking care of an animal is very demanding, requires a lot of time and sacrifice. Sometimes people only think about the joys of having a pet companion, but forget about all the time and energies that it requires.
If you are really sure about this choice, then go to a kennel and get one from there instead of buying one. You will give another chance to an forsaken animal who will be ready to give you back all his love.
