This is a bit of a departure from my usual topic of finding something inspiring in nature to share with readers. But I don’t think it’s that big of a stretch, and here’s why.

I love all animals and appreciate the many gifts they bestow upon us daily. Be it a beloved domesticated pet like a dog, cat, rabbit or horse, or a wild creature that shares this world with us, I believe in my heart that all animals deserve as much kindness and concern as we can manage. All animals, including ourselves (!) are part of nature. It’s where we all come from. And that is the basis for today’s column.

I know I’m not alone in this, but I cannot bear to watch those television commercials that depict an abandoned pet that has been left out in the cold, locked in a cage, or tied to a post with no hope of reprieve. Seeing that drives me to tears, and I quickly grab the remote and switch to another channel. Yes, we can ease our own souls and consciences by donating to whatever cause happens to be related to the ads. But I believe there is a far more pressing and immediate need that should be addressed and that concerns how we are directly able to help many of these pitiful creatures. And that is adopting an animal from a shelter, thereby giving some of them the fulfillment of the hope they’ve felt for so long.

But here’s the thing: despite all the emphasis placed upon adopting rescue animals from shelters, the cold hard fact is that, no matter how much love and care we are prepared to give that new pet, if we cannot afford the high prices of their health care, then we are not able to provide responsibly and effectively for them. I faced this dilemma myself a few years ago when the last cat I owned had several health issues that would have required thousands of dollars worth of veterinarian care. As much as I wanted to help her, I just did not have the financial resources to do it. That’s all I will say about that, but readers can probably guess what my next step was, and it was not one I relished. To this day, I still miss that little cat. But I vowed after that to never own another pet, because I was not financially capable of caring for it properly.

While I can see the problem clearly, I have no solutions. But I know that somewhere along this journey, one that is tragic not only for unwanted animals but for anyone who’s been in my place, someone must come up with one, and I believe it would look something like providing some type of financial help to anyone willing to adopt but who happens to live on a fixed and low income as so many do nowadays.

This could be in the form of discounts for seniors and disabled who have pets, low-cost pet health clinics, or a plan with low monthly payments to make care more attainable for those without any form of credit. While pet insurance is an option for some, once again, it more often than not is another expense that many people simply cannot afford.

Here in Maine, a state whose population is made up in large part of baby boomers, with many on fixed incomes, it would make good sense to offer some type of assistance to those who are willing to adopt. And in many cases, pet ownership is actually a good thing for an elderly person who lives alone but who might not have the funds to adequately provide for a pet with health issues. How that could work is beyond me, but there has to be some way to solve this problem for the sake not only of pet owners, but for the animals themselves who might very well live their entire lives in cages or, God forbid, languish forever in a sadly neglected situation.

A friend of mine who lives in another state and who is my age (74) made the decision recently not to own another pet. After years of dog and cat ownership, she concluded that, should something happen to her or to her husband, there might be no provision for any pets they owned at the time. My friend struggled with this especially after having had their last elderly and ill dog euthanized just a few weeks before, after months of expensive medical care. Learning that her sister had also spent several thousand dollars for care for one of her cats finalized my friend’s decision, as she knew that vet costs would just keep rising to keep up with inflation and increased costs associated with their services.

Just this morning, I spoke with another elderly neighbor of mine as she was returning from taking her 12-year-old cat to the vet for her annual checkup and shots. She ended the conversation by saying: “This is my last cat. I won’t get anymore, because I can’t afford it.” The dilemma became crystal clear to me at that moment: shelters full of animals that many loving people cannot afford to adopt and provide homes for.

Pet insurance is an excellent choice for those who can afford it, but buyer beware: all policies are not created equal, and that bears some research before making a decision to purchase. And there again, depending on the associated costs, many pet insurance policies may leave a fair share of the price to the pet owner, which could also, in some cases, become a burden.

Short of that, the sad fact is that many animals will simply continue to bide their time in shelters, getting excited when someone walks through, continuing to crave the love they all desperately need. For no-kill shelters, that means serious overcrowding, as more and more people adopt and then rid themselves of unwanted pets for reasons too numerous to mention. Puppies, kittens and bunnies are cute at first, but they can quickly become problems for some people as they mature and require more care. And non-neutered pets can and do come home sometimes with news of an impending “blessed event” that can also become a problem for a cash-strapped household.

We live in an increasingly animal-friendly society, and the welfare of all of earth’s creatures is high on our list of global priorities. Doesn’t it follow that the domesticated animals that need homes also deserve to live long, happy and healthy lives? Have we explored all the possible solutions to finding homes for more of them? If not, perhaps it’s time we did.