Don't give up animals without a fight

Animals that have spent their entire adulthood together should live together forever, especially when they are surrendered together.

There are circumstances that The Buddy Foundation does not like to hear about, but they are a stark reality. When giveups or abandonments happen in pairs we strive to keep the felines together.

What could be worse? First, losing what they thought was their forever home and then losing the best buddy they grew up with.

Sadly, this is an all too common occurrence. Economics can account for some stories of abandonment, but not all of them. We have to strive to do a better job of taking care of these helpless felines.

Felines do not do better than dogs when abandoned. They cannot find food in a frozen garbage bin. A household feline cannot even fend well for itself when crossing a perilous street. They get cold, hungry, exhausted and then they die because no one cares - and they stop caring, too, when there is no one there to help.

The felines that find their way to Buddy fare much better, but even the surrenders - for both legitimate and stupid reasons - leave our felines heartbroken. Sometimes they recover, sometimes not. I am always surprised by a feline's ability to forgive unkind acts or abandonment. Perhaps there is a life lesson in it for us as humans.

One reason for abandonment or give up I will never understand is, "My lease or condo agreement does not allow pets of any kind."

This excuse is avoidable. It is called read the fine print. Do not learn the exclusions after you sign on the dotted line of a lease or condo agreement.

A condo agreement is especially troubling. You are making a significant investment. You need to know the contents of the document that will bind you as long as you own the residence.

You need to know the terms and conditions of the document and what your legal rights are. That means you are consulting with an attorney. So how do you not know that this condo association is not a pet-friendly place?

I have also heard, "The condo association has changed its rules." You should be grandfathered in. You are being bullied by a larger entity with more legal savvy. You fight back by consulting an attorney, but you never surrender your animals without a fight.

That is the plight of today's "Featured Felines." The condo association changed rules midstream. "The cats must go," and so they did. When you have multiple animals, how do you make the choice of who stays and who goes?

We recently took back a feline that was adopted many years ago. How could we say "no" to the feline friend that was adopted from another source when they have lived in the same home and returned like useless belongings.

Please welcome today's Featured Felines Angel and Norman.

Angel and Norman are brother and sister. They were adopted and then returned several months later. Both wonderful cats, Angel is calico and white, while Norman is orange and white.

• The Buddy Foundation, 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, is a nonprofit (501c3), all volunteer, no-kill animal shelter. Call (847) 290-5806 or visit www.thebuddyfoundation.org.