Despite the challenges of the past 11 months, the pandemic has brought one silver lining: the demand for pets has increased dramatically. With the pandemic forcing people to stay home, many now have the time and capacity to take care of pets.

Last Chance Pet, a local organization, had its adoptions increase almost 40% in 2020 compared to 2019.

Senior Anika Rao-Mruthyunjaya adopted her two cats, Zeus and Apollo, in April, after her other
cat passed away at the start of the pandemic. “We originally thought we wouldn’t get another cat for a while,” Rao-Mruthyunjaya said. “With the lockdown and the weather was really awful, and we were all just really bummed out all the time. Not having a cat was really getting to us.”

The family found their two cats on a Mancoon rescue site and couldn’t be happier to have two
new cats in the home, according to Rao-Mruthyunjaya.

Dogs and cats aren’t the only types of pets getting adopted. Junior Anushka Basu recently adopted her guinea pig, Pianetta, from a Santa Cruz animal shelter. The process of adoption may
have looked a little different than in years past—masking and social distancing were required—but that didn’t stop animals from being adopted. “I remember the
shelter saying that over 100 animals had been adopted that past week,” Basu said.

Named after Basu’s love of the piano, Pianetta never fails to brighten Basu’s day. “When you’re having a bad day you can just pet [Pianetta] and she instantly makes you feel better,” she said. “She’s my little buddy now.” Although she admits that guinea pigs can take a lot of work, Basu
now looks forward to taking care of her pet: “It’s a chore that I am looking forward to everyday because she is an amazing pet and I love spending time with her,” she said.