I am truly sorry, Salamander, for the loss of your companions.
Yes, it’s evil for shelters to charge and arm and a leg. A lot of them are in cahoots with vets who neuter/spay animals.
When we adopt our animals I tell the shelter right up front that the animal will go to straight to OUR vet.
We’re currently looking for a dog we saw on the street a bit from our house...if we see her again we’re going to take her to our vet to see if she’s got a chip. We think/hope she may have just jumped a fence and was roaming without her collar.
I also would like to adopt one of the cats in our area. My beloved husband mourns deeply all the pets we’ve had over the years. They don’t lie, or steal, and all they want is food, water, and hugs.... and a safe warm place to sleep.
Sigh.
There’s big money in “rescue” now.
It’s obscene.
And not surprisingly, the shelters are run by liberals who love peta and the HSUS.
It’s all about profit.
The local shelter is *funded* by the county and doesn’t even need the money they get for the animals but gouge, they still do.
I hope you find the dog’s people [or become the dog’s people, if it has none of its own] and the cat, too.
Animals have always been my greatest comfort and company, for the exact reasons you stated.