Frequently Asked Questions



Why is spaying and neutering my pet important?

Often, animal offspring come from family pets. Perhaps the cat or dog escaped one time, or perhaps it was intentional. Regardless, for every person which is born, 7 cats or dogs are born. Due to animal over-population, millions of cats and dogs must be euthanized each year. By making sure that your pet can’t have puppies or kittens, you’ll have peace of mind that it’s offspring won’t be euthanized in an animal shelter.
Whats the average cost to vaccinate/spay or neuter my pet?

This largely depends on the size of the animal and area in which you are located. Fortunately, many shelters have their own vets, and will likely spay or neuter your pets for a much lower price than a vet at an animal hospital or vet clinic. Sometimes, shelters even have spay and neuter clinics, in which they spay and neuter animals for free.
How many pets are euthanized each year?

Nearly 50% of all animals brought to animal shelters are euthanized each year. This means 3-4 million animals are euthanized each year.
What are puppy/kitten mills and how are they causing millions of animals to suffer?

Mills are large-scale commercial breeding facilities. Basically, they have the animals reproduce, generally with little regulation, in order to sell them to other breeders or pet stores at a low price so both parties can make a huge profit. Because mill animals get no medical care, no exercise, no socialization, and barely any food, most of these animals are often sick when sold, and are more likely to have genetic disorders. There are an estimated 4,000 mills in the U.S. that produce millions of animals a year. Many animals at mills are put in a 2’ by 2’ kennel, and are kept there their entire lives. About two thirds of all dogs and cats in the U.S. come from mills. This means, producing over 35 million animals, mills are the single greatest cause of pet over population in the U.S.
How can adopting from animal shelters help put an end to breeders and puppy/kitten mills?

Since most pets sold by breeders or pet stores likely came from pets originally born in mills, you will only be adding to the problem (and spending more money) if you don’t adopt from an animal shelter. The less demand breeders and pet stores have, the less pets they will buy from mills. If everyone adopted their pets from animal shelters, there would be huge decreases in profit for mills and they would be forced to shut down. By attacking the root of the problem, the pet population would become dramatically more stable, and the number of suffering animals and euthanization rates will decrease.
Are animals sold by breeders, better trained, better tempered, and smarter than shelter animals?

Many people have a preconceived notion that shelter animals are less friendly, untrained, not purebreds, and disobedient when compared to animals sold by breeders. Most of the time, this stereotype is incorrect. Shelter animals can certainly be trained and are extremely lovable. The level of intelligence and obedience actually depend on the animals’ breed. Since shelters tend to have many different breeds and you can search for the breed you want online, you can easily find the perfect pet without having to spend hundreds of extra dollars and fueling the fire that is animal over-population. If you are looking for a purebred you can easily find one at a shelter (30% of shelter animals are purebreds). Additionally, shelters have been taking steps to pre-train their animals. Therefore, some pets adopted from shelters will already be trained, unlike pets sold by breeders or pet stores.
Is it cheaper to adopt from a shelter than to buy from a breeder?

YES! On average you will save $300-500 by adopting a pet from an animal shelter. Since shelter animal are usually already vaccinated and spayed or neutered, you will also save on veterinarian costs as well.
Do to circumstances out of my control, I must give up my pet, but no shelter will take it in. What should I do?

If no shelter will take your pet, you can post it on our site and on craigslist to find a new home for it. DO NOT leave it chained to a fence outside an animal shelter. Even if it’s a “no kill” shelter, if the shelter has no room for your pet, they will send it to another shelter where it will likely get euthanized.
Am I able to put a live feed of my own pet on the site?
As of now, no. However, we are working on developing software so you can show off your pet on our site.
All of the live feeds say they are currently not broadcasting, but I know they are running right now. How can I fix this?
First try leaving the page and coming back to it. If that doesn’t work, try using a different web browser.
If I am a non-profit organization that isn’t an animal shelter, can I too apply to have a free live feed set up for my organization?
As long as you are a non-profit organization that is planning on showing live video feeds of your animals on our site, we will set up a free live feed and account for you.
Are there any advertisements or live feeds for breeders on this site?
No! SquishyCute.com is trying to help non-profits, save animals, and control the pet population. We refuse to advertise or promote any breeders who are selling animals for profit.