In addition to the injured, abused and sick stray animals we rescue, the SPCA also takes in up to 300 unwanted or abandoned pets each month (including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs). The main reason cited by owners who give their pets up is "no time to look after them". Many of these animals are, sadly, victims of impulse buying. Others are the result of over-breeding and as many as 20 cats/rabbits or 70 hamsters have been abandoned by individual owners. Others have chronic ailments or behaviour issues and their owners neglected to take them to a veterinarian for treatment or an animal behaviourist for training. As much as we would like to treat, save and rehome all of them, we do not have the resources to do so.

A significant number that we rescue and shelter, include the very young (which in order to survive would need round-the-clock care), old and sick, and injured. Unless there are unlimited numbers of foster homes who, at a moment's notice, could give these animals the dedicated care and treatment needed in a home environment, the SPCA will still need to carry out the dreaded task of euthanasia.

To avoid hoarding or overcrowding (which can lead to serious welfare issues), there is a selection criteria for adoption based on health, temperament and age.

How you can help us save lives:
- Foster the animal at home or place it in a boarding kennel whilst you look for a suitable home for it.
- Ask friends and relatives if they can help to foster or adopt the animal.
- Put up an adoption ad in newspaper classified sections.
- Put up free adoption notices on bulletin boards at supermarkets and vet clinics.
- Go to www.spca.org.sg/rehoming_ext.html, fill in the form and email it to us with a photo and we will place a notice on our website and on our reception notice board.
- Put up adoption notices for free on social networking sites such as Facebook and pet forums and websites such as Pets Channel. For contacts of animal organisations and websites, please click on "links".

The decision to give up or surrender a pet to the SPCA should be discussed with the whole family. Please note that if you have surrendered an animal to us, and it does not meet the adoption criteria your pet will be humanely euthanased. If this is not acceptable to you, we would advise that you keep the animal and try the options above.