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Pets Are Losing Homes, Too

Recession sparks rise in animal abandonment

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Dec 16, 2008 2:29 PM CST

(Newser) – Animal shelters are being filled with pets abandoned because of the recession and home foreclosures. In Massachusetts, a rescue league has seen a 45% jump in owners citing money or housing problems when they surrender a cat or dog. Others are just leaving their pets on the streets or in the houses they must vacate, sometimes with a supply of food, the Boston Globe reports.

The problem has multiplied in some cases because owners are not paying to have their abandoned pets spayed or neutered. "We don't know where to put them. We're all overwhelmed," says the president of an animal shelter. Horses, which cost thousands of dollars a year to care for, are also suffering in the recession: Farms say their paddocks are overflowing.

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Pets are also the victims of home foreclosure. Animals left behind in vacant homes or brought to shelters have put extra strain on local animal shelters. (PRNewsFoto/American Humane Association)

Dogs are displayed for adoption in California. Abandoned animals are becoming a given amid foreclosures and the recession. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A vet holds a malnourished kitten at a Cleveland animal shelter. Some owners are skimping on getting cats spayed or neutered, magnifying the problem for rescue shelters. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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Economic struggles are forcing many to say goodbye to their pets. CNN's John Zarrella reports. (CNN Video)

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As soon as we place a cat, there's another 10 waiting. - Annamarie Taylor, president of the Animal Umbrella shelter

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Pets Are Losing Homes, Too