If You Can’t Have Pets, Volunteer To Hang Out With Animals Instead

If You Can’t Have Pets, Volunteer To Hang Out With Animals Instead

Maybe you live in a house that outlaws animals, or maybe you have a partner with allergies. That doesn’t mean cats and dogs can’t be a part of your everyday life. Volunteering at an animal shelter is the perfect hack for the pet-starved.

Redditor mollyleejames gleefully announced on r/LifeProTips that many shelters need volunteers to help socialise cats and dogs, and keep them occupied and loved:

It’s FREE to go to the humane society and pet kitties — this can help someone who is unable to have pets and/or people who are chronically lonely.

I do this often! All I do is walk in and ask the receptionist if I can come inside and pet the kitties. They always say yes!

I usually sit in the kitty room for an hour playing, petting, interacting, and bonding with them. The kitties love it because they need attention and I love it because I can tell how much they’re loving it.

For me, going there sets me happy for the rest of the day!

Sometimes you get to see them being picked to be adopted too, which always warms my heart. (:

The ability to just walk in and pet animals should be confirmed at your local shelter — for one thing, hours may vary and there are probably times when having extra people in the holding areas is distracting. There are also many official volunteer positions to be found at the RSPCA, as well as a lot of smaller shelters in most cities that need this kind of support.

Check in on local organisations who probably need more help. Spending time with the animals makes them better candidates for adoption and it will help fill the void you have as a petless pet lover. Just be careful: There’s no way I’d get through a day of this without bringing home a new cat.


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