Unsual issue re: helping pets? (throw, food, dogs, blankets)

[movintime]

This is so bizarre no one will relate.

But I have a cat yet want to help other cats in need, & so worry of contracting something that'll be brought home & affect my cat. Example is volunteering or even paid part time jobs w/ cats, dogs, etc. This handling animals daily would expose me to their potential diseases, & so bring it home on clothes/hands, etc.

Anyone feel this way or am I crazy? Haha.

[catsmom21]

I feel exactly the same way. I never pet strange cats, for fear of bringing something home. I "help" from a distance, donating food and toys and small checks regularly to my local shelter.

I signed up at AmazonSmile, putting my local shelter as my beneficiary. AmazonSmile is a program where a percentage of every purchase you make is donated to your charity of choice. If your shelter isn't listed, I think there is a way to get them on the list.

I also let it be known where I work that I go to the shelter regularly and if anyone ever has old blankets or towels, unwanted pet toys or beds, in good condition, they can bring them to me and I will bring them to the shelter.

(this has been a mixed success some of the stuff I find left on my desk is unusable, and I simply throw it away. Some of the towels and blankets aren't even washed and I have to wash them before I bring to the shelter, I'd be embarrassed to bring something that dirty. I wash them at the laundry mat though, not in my own washer)

I leave the hands on work to people who aren't chronic worriers.

[purpleprincess22]

I thought about volunteering at my local pet shelter, but also was concerned about bringing fleas or an infection home.

I may foster pets in my own home one day, but they would have to be thoroughly screened first.

[subject2change]

I have special "shelter shoes" that stay in the garage, and when I get home my clothes go right in the hamper, and I go right in the shower. I sanitize my hands before leaving the shelter (you need to sanitize in between interacting with animals anyway, unless they're loose together in a cat colony). This is something that's usually brought up at volunteer orientation.
To purpleprincess, a responsible shelter would not allow an animal sick with a contagious disease to go to a home with other animals, unless the animal was going home with an experienced foster who had a place to keep them separate and the knowledge of how to sanitize and keep everyone, including future fosters coming into the home, safe.

[ouijeewoman]

Originally Posted by subject2change

I have special "shelter shoes" that stay in the garage, and when I get home my clothes go right in the hamper, and I go right in the shower. I sanitize my hands before leaving the shelter (you need to sanitize in between interacting with animals anyway, unless they're loose together in a cat colony). This is something that's usually brought up at volunteer orientation.
To purpleprincess, a responsible shelter would not allow an animal sick with a contagious disease to go to a home with other animals, unless the animal was going home with an experienced foster who had a place to keep them separate and the knowledge of how to sanitize and keep everyone, including future fosters coming into the home, safe.

^^^This. I go one step further. My clothes go right in the washer. I have to do this because Samson likes to sleep in the hamper.

I wanted to volunteer for a long time but I was afraid of passing on something to my cats. I talked to one of the ladies in charge of the rescue, and expressed my concerns. She said all the the cats are vetted before being put up for adoption. The rescue I volunteer for doesn't have a physical building where all the cats are kept. They are either in the PetSmart adoption center or with their foster families. I love volunteering with the kitties! I just got home from a fundraiser event about an hour ago. I had so much fun, and we raised a lot of money tonight.

Please, don't be afraid to do this. Just find a shelter or rescue with a good reputation. There are two shelters near me that I would not step inside. They have high kill rates and sick animals. I volunteer for a true no kill rescue.