Here is the first comprehensive review of a survival issue that touches the lives of a majority of Americans — but hasn't won as much of our active concern as it deserves. Nearly six out of ten U.S. households own at least one dog or cat. As the new century began, over l30,000,000 pets were sharing our lives. Yet every year an estimated 5,000,000 shelter orphans — healthy, lovable young animals who would make happy and devoted pets — are doomed to pre-mature death simply for want of sufficient homes. What can all of us who keep and care about companion animals do to save those "surplus" lives? A great deal. But until now there's been no single, accessible source to enlighten America's pet-owning public on the many large and small ways we can help. This informal and inclusive guide, written by a fellow pet owner with no institutional affiliation, focuses on three prime areas in which thoughtful dog and cat lovers can make a dramatic difference: how we acquire our pets; how scrupulously we manage their birth control; and — perhaps most important today — how committed we are to keeping them with us for life.

AuthorBiography: Susan M. Seidman's articles on companion animals have appeared in Cat Fancy, Modern Maturity, Cats Magazine and elsewhere. Since l978 she has worked independently as a freelance journalist and advertising consultant. Earlier, she was a senior contributing editor with the Foreign Policy Association, a copywriter with American Heritage Publishing Company, and the circulation promotion manager of Réalités in America, Inc. She has done extensive volunteer work with humane societies and shares her home with (at present) three cats.