As cities and counties struggle financially just like the rest of us, Animal shelters may be the first to suffer from budget cuts. With fewer employees and less money to go around, shelters may find it difficult to come up with enough food and other necessary supplies for the animals in their care.

This can mean dogs have fewer opportunities for exercise and bathroom trips outside because employees are busy doing the work of a laid-off co-worker. Or no one has time to give some TLC to the kittens someone just dropped off. Shelters may even have a hard time stretching their budgets to adequately feed all the animals.

So, even if you prefer to only support no-kill shelters, consider that the animals in all shelters need food and care. No matter what type of shelter you decide to support, with donations of money, food, or other supplies, check first to see what items they need most. Some no-kill shelters normally receive a good deal of support, but are no doubt currently seeing reductions in donations. This type of shelter sometimes accepts only certain brands of high-quality food for optimal nutrition; this is great for the animals, but be prepared to spend a little more money.