Abused And Neglected Pets

All animals were made to be able to fend for themselves in the wild. However, many animals have since then been domesticated, which means that they are now meant to live in homes with care from someone else. This is fine, but the people they live with DO have to care for them.

Domesticated animals weren't meant to live on their own, and no animals were meant to be all alone in big cities. Once an animal learns to accept things from people as their main source of food they can never go back to getting the food on their own. Many animals are neglected. They don't have proper food and shelter from their owners. Even worse, some animals are abused, meaning their owners purposely hurt them. Some animals are cast out on to the street. If they are lucky they find their way into a new home. But most animals end up at the pound, where there just isn't enough room for everyone. And then these animals are put to sleep. Forever.

All people who care about animals do need to care for them. Sadly, not all pet owners do care for their pets. These pets are neglected. Neglect comes in many forms. Usually it's pets that don't have proper food and shelter. A pet is being neglected when it is not being fed once a day at the least, or if its water bowl is not always full. Another way to tell if a pet is being neglected is if it can't get shelter from wind, rain, sun, bugs, etc if it wanted to. All pets should have access to the indoors, or shelter outside.

But neglect comes in other forms too. If someone is not increasing the size of the pet’s collar as it grows it will tighten around its neck. That is neglect. If you don't groom a dog or cat, especially long haired one, it will result in matting, which causes terrible misery. Mange, caused by tiny parasites, forces pets to suffer from itching and possible sores. This is another form of neglect. Starvation is not only caused by lack of food, but improper food, untreated disease, and parasites. So neglect comes in may forms, but it is important to be able to spot it in any case. You could save an animal's life.

Abuse is much easier to spot than neglect, and also much more horrifying. This is when a person is physically hurting their animal, on purpose. This can be choking, kicking, dunking their head under water, or any other action that brings pain to a pet. If you see this you may want to turn away, or go confront the abuser. This, however, is not the best idea. Tell a parent immediately. If you can photograph the abuse it is the best way to be able to make sure the abuser faces the punishment of the law.

To report neglect or abuse tell your local Humane Officer. This is anyone in your area who investigates animal cruelty. If you don't want your neighbor to know you made the report, for obvious reasons, tell the officer you wish to remain anonymous. The Humane officer will investigate and decide what is happening. In most cases the pet will be removed. You can help out by alerting the Humane officer if the owner gets another pet. Remember, throughout all of this, your parents are very helpful, so let them know immediately.

The laws about animal cruelty are pretty vague and Humane Officers don't have very many more rights than you or your parents. The pet owner could order them of their property and charge them with trespassing. Fortunately animal cruelty is being recognized as common violence and laws against it are being passed. Humane Officers are also getting more rights, so animal cruelty cases will begin to progress quickly.

The way to prevent neglect is education. Many owners who neglect their pets just don't realize how much their pets need. Reading Paws For Thoughts is a great way to learn about animals. You can also make fliers about animals you know about, or animal cruelty and place them around your neighborhood or school. People who neglect their pets aren't really trying to be cruel. Most of them just don't know as much as many of us do about their animals. On the other hand, people who abuse their pets are doing it to be cruel. We need stronger laws and punishment against this or it will keep happening.

I have had my cat, Nala, for three years now. My friend Kate and I were at the pound with my family. There were cages of concrete with bars about 3 ft. high, 4 ft. wide, and 3 ft. across. Each of these cages held 2-4 cats. We found a small and delicate cat named Symba, and it was the thinnest thing we had ever seen. It had just been rescued from an abusive and neglected owner and, for obvious reasons, had some social issues. Because of this, Symba was going to be put to sleep. We just couldn't let that happen. We found out Symba was a girl, and we changed her name to Nala. (We did this to keep the whole Lion King theme going, but let her have a gender appropriate name.) After we got Nala the proper medical treatment we took her home, but she attacked both my parents and my other cat. She just wasn't adjusting to people. But we fed her and I visited her every day, keeping our distance. Now Nala rubs up against me and I pet her. We give her free will to roam outside, and she always comes home. She is a happy cat and she is well fed and taken care of. Nala will never be abused or neglected again, and she is welcomed in our home for the rest of her life.

- Rachel, 12, USA