Open your heart: Adopt or foster a few good pets

Humane Society of Yuma is overflowing with dogs and kittens right now

Can you open your home to an adorable kitten or three, or maybe a sweet puppy or two?

If so, now is the time — the Humane Society of Yuma is overflowing with loveable animals in need of good homes.

Maybe you are on the fence about a forever animal, uncertain about the time or the cost? The Humane Society also offers a “Foster to Adopt” program. People take in kittens, care for them, feed them, and bring them back to the shelter for vaccinations and spaying or neutering. When the kittens are ready to be adopted, the foster family has a choice — they can keep the animals and adopt them, or they can turn the kittens back to the shelter for adoption.

It’s a pretty amazing option, and allows people to help the shelter while experiencing the joys and fun of kittens, hands on.

And for those of you on the fence, consider this: pet ownership has distinct benefits for people, too.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, owning a pet “can increase opportunities to exercise, get outside and socialize.” And walking or playing with a pet can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels and stress. The best benefit of all, however, is the boost a pet can provide to one’s mental health. Pets can help with loneliness and depression by simply being a companion, the CDC notes.

Cats can provide emotional support, improve one’s mood and contribute to morale, the CDC notes, while dogs can promote relaxation, too.

Dogs have even been able to detect oncoming epileptic seizures or the presence of some cancers, the CDC reports.

The benefits of pet ownership are clear, and right now, the Humane Society of Yuma is overflowing with them.

Stop by the agency or PetSmart, and give a pet or two a forever home today.