Feline lovers everywhere need little to no excuse to take a lovable kitty into their home. During the entire month of June each year, the American Human Society and the CATalyst Council encourage cat lovers to adopt a cat from a local shelter to prevent as many needless euthanizations as possible.

There are dozens of reasons cats wind up in shelters. In some cases, owners become sick or impoverished and are no longer able to care for their pet. In other instances, these animals are abandoned in an act of cruelty. They are often captured by animal patrol and dropped off at the shelter in poor health.

As much as animal shelters and organizations enjoy caring for the animals that come into their care, funding and space allotment does not afford them to keep those animals permanently.

Time constrictions are impressed upon the shelter, giving a healthy animal sometimes seven to ten days to become adopted, and if that does not happen, the animals often have to be put to sleep.

While it may be tempting to head out to a pet store and spend upwards of $500 on a fancy cat breed, it often costs less for a family or individual to adopt a cat from the local shelter. As well as health information, many shelters have the cats spayed or neutered before they put them up for adoption, which means your adopted feline will be less likely to wander, and you won’t wind up with countless litters of kittens on your hands.

Before you visit the pet store, take a moment to contact your local pet shelter and ask for details about their adoption policies. Inquire about the cats they currently have at the shelter, and make an appointment to visit and check them out. I can guarantee you your local shelter probably has a wide variety of male and female cats ranging in size, breed and age.

Your visit may not just bring a faithful feline companion into your home, but it may just save that kitty’s life.