The Consequences Of Abandoned or Lost Pets

Abandoned or lost pets are distressed, not free from captivity.

If you have ever witnessed the panic that overcomes a small child when he turns around in a busy mall to find that his mother is not where he thought she was, you have some understanding of the fear a pet feels when it is suddenly abandoned.

The child who can't find his mother in a store may sob, scream, stamp his feet and wail, but when his mum, who is really only a few feet away, comes running, the crisis is over. The tears dry up, the sobs wane, and in a few minutes the child is all smiles again.

An abandoned pet cannot wail and run to a friendly mall staff member. It doesn't have the words to ask for help. But it is in as much distress as any lost child. Animals that are more vocal, like dogs, may whine or whimper and run about looking for a familiar face or voice; others that don't often make many noises, like rabbits, may cower and hide.

Even pets that always seem to be making a bid for freedom from their homes do not realize the consequences of their attempts. Just because it always seems to be trying to slip out the door, it does not mean it can survive without you.

A domesticated animal depends on its human carers to feed, water, shelter, and medicate it. If it is abandoned or lost, terrible things can happen to it.