Pet Promise Day: Keeping commitments to our cats

How committed are you to your pets? Every year on September 16, Pet Promise Day reminds us how much our pets are relying on us to keep them healthy, safe, and happy. When you adopt a pet, you are making a promise to provide for that pet’s wellbeing.

Nonprofit pet rescues, such as Wild Blue Rescue in Colorado Springs, frequently take in cats who have been mistreated, neglected, or abandoned. To gain more insight into how cat owners can prevent surrendering their cat in the future, we interviewed Sabrina Utter, Wild Blue Rescue’s Director of Marketing and Outreach.

How long have you been volunteering with Wild Blue Rescue? What types of volunteer tasks have you carried out for them?

I have volunteered with Wild Blue since 2019. I have been a sanctuary shift lead, adoption counselor and the fundraising chairperson. But I have done so many things. I have helped at spay/neuter clinics, and event coordination.

From what you’ve seen/heard about in your experience at Wild Blue Rescue, what are some of the most common reasons a cat is surrendered to Wild Blue Rescue, not including illness/injury or the owner’s financial situation?

The most common reason I’ve seen in my experience is not getting along with other pets, or people having a baby and feeling that they do not have enough time to pay attention to the kitty.

Can you share a couple of situations in which a cat was surrendered for a poor reason?

The one that always bothers me the most is when someone wants to return a kitty after having it for one week, and saying that the kitty hid the whole time. This is not the plan. We include a brochure that explains how to introduce a kitty to their new home, and some people always rush the intros. By doing a rush introduction, you are setting the pets up for failure. It can take six months for a cat to fully acclimate.

The other situation that is preventable and an unnecessary return is when someone is moving. Pets are family and every effort should be made to accommodate the move. Find a place that will take cats. Do everything you can. I spent four days when I moved to Colorado trying to find a place that would take two cats. I was not going to give up.

We even had someone wanting to return a cat because it was scratching furniture. I asked if the cat had cat trees- their answer was no. People need to realize that cats NEED scratchers. Have them all over the house if you need to. Some cats are just more into scratching.

What types of situations should a new cat owner be prepared for?

A new cat parent should be prepared to keep the kitty in a small space for two to seven days. Some kitties are super confident and some are very shy. Bathrooms are the best because there is no bed to hide under. Just make sure they cannot get the cabinets open. And sometimes you have to put towels behind the toilet so they cannot hide. Make sure you have fresh water, and a litterbox. Try to find out what kind of food the kitty likes by getting three to four cans of different types and paying attention to what they like. Also- be prepared that their tummies may be upset from the change in environment. Probiotics are amazing.

It easily costs around $200 to set up for a new kitty. And make sure you have an emergency fund for any vet care you will need. Kittens who are adopted before four months will need to be vaccinated for rabies. Also- kittens' personalities are not always evident at a few months old. By about six months old their personality becomes apparent. Please know that every time you play with your hand as a toy you are sending the wrong message.

Do you think there is a big difference in viewing a cat as a household member instead of as a piece of property? Why?

People who don’t view their pets as family members are the ones who will let them be in unsafe situations or they will return them without a moment of hesitation. Animals are a commitment, but some people do not see it that way.

What are some of the things Wild Blue Rescue has been doing to educate the public about taking better care of cats?

Wild Blue has done many posts explaining the importance of spaying or neutering your cats. But we also have done posts concerning Benign Neglect. This is when someone loves their animal but doesn’t realize how bad they are hurting them by overfeeding them, not getting their vaccines, not having vet care, or not feeding them quality food.

What ways can cat lovers support Wild Blue Rescue? What is most needed at the rescue right now?

Cat lovers can unite to help us in our biggest fundraiser of the year. Fancy Feast is our virtual auction. We need gift certificates, and cute items for baskets, or people can participate in the auction in November.

As always, we have wish lists on our website as we always need food and other enriching items for the cats and kittens in our care. Right now, we have about 300 cats or kittens in our care. That is a lot of mouths to feed, meds to give, and little ones to clean up after.

Is there anything about this topic that we haven’t covered that you would like to share?

We just went through a situation where a lady was being put into hospice. She refused to give up until all her cats were taken care of. She reached out to us because no one in her family was willing to help. We have all of her kitties in our care now, but the importance of coming up with an estate plan for your pets is huge. Without a plan, someone could just let them go outside, or they could end up in a high-kill shelter. Please include your pets in your after-death estate planning.

The photos above show all of the cats who came from the situation involving a cat owner in hospice care.

Visit Wild Blue Rescue’s website for more information on adopting and volunteering. Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on upcoming online events and cat rescue news!

Do you volunteer for a pet nonprofit? Tell us about it! Drop us a DM or comment on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X

Do you have a cat question you’d like answered in our blog? Email rmniels@gmail.com.