September 17-23 is dedicated to all “less adoptable” pets on Petfinder.com. A survey conducted by PetFinder shows that certain pets stay in a shelter nearly four times longer than all other pets before they find a forever home. Sometimes for more than two years! So what makes these animals “less adoptable pets?”

Fur Color

Because of color superstitions or other beliefs, many people simply don’t like the color black. If you visit the shelter on any given day, you may see that the number of black dogs and cats is disproportionately high. In my experience, however, black cats are cute, funny and loving. They purr and play just like any other white or orange cat. And black dogs are just as loving, loyal, sweet and clever as any brown dog. Believe me, I know and I miss my black Figaro so much.

Age

Older and senior animals often fall into the “less adoptable pets” category. They usually have a very hard time finding a home, but there’s really no good reason for this.

I fostered a senior cat that was 12 years young. After a short time, we decided to keep him. He is the most adorable and loving cat. He plays like he is less than a year old, he is very relaxed, and he is just a sweet furball. In addition to the love my cats bring me, I feel so good for having given a senior pet the chance to have a loving home.

I adopted both my dogs from the shelter. Libby was two years old and Tong was six. Libby was on a death list, and they didn’t even check Tong’s health. Tong was very depressed, just lying in the corner of the cage. In addition, there was a list of bad qualities his owner listed as a reason for leaving him in the shelter, none of which turned out to be true.

Survey Results

According to the PetFinder survey, shelters have the hardest time finding homes for certain animals because of:

• Behavioral Needs – pets that have had a difficult history – 16%
• Breed Prejudice – such as pit bull terriers – 14%
• Fearful/Shy Nature – caused by an abusive home or puppy mill – 13%
• Medical Needs – blind, deaf, FIV positive – 12%
• Poor Socialization – needing to be the only pet at home – 12%

To learn more about pit bulls, older pets and pets with health issues, or to simply find less adoptable pets to adopt please go the the PetFinder site.