Cross Breeds

How long do animals stay at the shelter before they kill them?

I am going to get an older cat from the shelter. While I was there i saw a few animals that have been there for a few months and I was told they don't have much time left. Does that mean they kill them? How long is an animal at the shelter before they kill them? I do not believe in any killing of animals- i am a veagn- should I boycot the shelter due to the fact they kill animals?

Public Comments

1. It depends on the shelter. There are many no-kill shelters out there now. I dont beleive animals should be killed either. But if you boycott the shelter and dont adopt the kitty, he could wind up being one of the ones who run out of time. =(
2. Sad, But some shelters do not have the money to keep them longer then 3 months. I have heard of some that only keep them a month. (Dogs and cats) We have shelters that have had cats for up to 5 years. and they are allowed to walk the whole building. It all depends if they are a no kill shelter. To boycott a shelter I feel is wrong. I would help them out as much as you can...... Blankets, towels, food, money, carpet pieces and your time. I go to mine in the area and play with them in the play room and groom them. So they look there best and are friendly to new people that come in to check them out. Fundraisers are good to for your local shelter.
3. Depends on the shelter. Could be anywhere from three days to a few months. And the policy could change depending on how much space they have. And there are no-kill shelters. We have several here in the Dallas area. If you feel that strongly about it, you could go to one of those. But you realize that some animals just aren't adoptable, right? There's good reason to put them down. And no-kill shelters often make it ridiculously difficult for people to adopt and keep animals with no hope of ever being adopted, which just means they stay full and more animals have to go to kill shelters instead. Sometimes being responsible caretakers of our planet means having to make the hard choices with animals in situations like this.
4. If you were told "they dont have much time left" then yes it means they will be put to sleep. I would NOT boycot that shelter though, I would go and save a cat from there. Good luck xx
5. we ahve 2 kill shelters in my area but instead of killing them they are sending them to no kill shelters but more in likely they will be killed some places like in flordia miami if they find a stray they will kill it right there on the spot if it has no tags and collar i used to live there i know it all depends on the shelter every place ahs a different idea how long they can be there. maybe you can help them by having some of your friends and family take them or try to help them place the animals ask if they are going to go to a different of maybe you can get them and take them to a no kill shelter and explain the situation to them i have never seen a shelter turn down an animal about to be killed boycott them might not help if they are getting grants from the govenment then have to a kill shelter other wise the government will not give them a grant( go figure) lol
6. u know 1st of all its very sad that ppl buy animals..mistreat them and they end up in shelters....in my opinion they put them down in 1 year or so as more animals keep coming in...and if they dont have enough funding and money they cant keep up the costs...but u shud be happy they do this..in other countries cept' north america and europe they die a painful death example: taiwan ( where they dont feed em..and dogs go cannibal and kill each other to survive..even cats and + they also eat em there :( guess its a part of culture) even in India (where i immigrated from) things are a lil better thn th eastern asian countries but since theres corruption..dogs and animals also starve there...all in all North America and Europe are best countries where they die a painless death..but i also think no1 shud be allowed to play "god" and determine this..geez why dont they just decrease all "pet" populations?
7. Obviously they kill them.Relax its just a cat.
8. If the animals are old and in pain they should be put to sleep to ease their suffering but to kill them just because they have been there such and such amount of time is disgusting and should be illigal.
9. They end up having to kill thousands because of irresponsible cat and dog owners that don't spay and nueter their animals. There is a huge over population of cats especially!.. the local shelters where I live will either refuse to take anymore in, or they will put them to sleep right when they arrive.. usually litters of kittens. I try to tell most of the idiots on this site to not let their cats have MORE kittens, but they all think a few more cats isn't going to hurt.... well it's morons that think like that that add to the extreme over population. Don't boycot the shelter.... boycot the morons who don't fix their cats, and are making the shelter cats lives hell. I can't stand when I read "my cat is pregnant"... or "I think my cat is pregnant".. all those people that say that are just irresponsible animal owners, and shouldnt even have them
10. If you want this cat at the shelter, please adopt it. Most people go looking for kittens and the older cats get passed up. That cat will make a good a furry companion. The shelter in the county I live in is high kill and it is so sad. But they only have so much space and so much money. I am a member of the Humane Society and I help where I can, but I am only one of a few in this county. There is high unemployment and under-employment here, and the family pet is on the bottom of the list for attention, especially if there is a cost involved. Instead of boycotting your shelter, see what programs are in place to help the animals. Do they have a volunteer program, or do they have fundraisers you could donate items to or assist with? Does your state have an 'animal friendly' vehicle license plate..part of the fees for those go back to spay/neuter programs. When you have a friend, coworker, family member looking for a new pet, suggest this shelter. Also, there are going to be animals at the shelter that are simply not adoptable, for illnesses, injury, or aggressiveness. It is the most humane thing to euthanize them. To ease your mind, the drug used to euthanize works within seconds of being injected and the pet feels no pain or suffering. Good luck picking your new companion. Purrs to you and kitty.