I've never known an animal lover who didn't have a heart that seemed just a little larger than the norm and who didn't find room from time to time for an extra pet who needed a new home.

The problem is that none of us has the space or time to care for all the animals who could use our help. For most of us, taking in an extra pet means working to find a permanent home to provide the love and care that our own animals enjoy.

There was a time in my life when rescuing and placing animals was my life. I spent my lunch hours taking in pets and my weekends checking out potential adopters. My partner and I found homes for dozens of pets each year, beautiful, sweet-natured animals who had been abandoned and even abused. It never failed to astonish me how firm is an animal's belief in the essential goodness of people -- and how eventually we were always able to find good people to give these pets the second chance they deserved.

My rescuing career came to an end with the emergence of health problems that plague me still, and I have to be content now with supporting those who continue this important work: shelter workers and the uncounted legions of volunteers.

If you're suddenly among those volunteers, here are a few tips for finding a perfect home for that pet you've found but cannot keep:

-- Do everything you can to make the animal more adoptable. The pet has a better chance if he is current on shots, house-trained and neutered. It also helps if the animal is socialized and friendly with children and other pets. Try to fix behavior problems before placement as well.

-- Talk to everyone. Post ads in newspapers and on bulletin boards, and mention the pet to everyone you know. Give fliers to friends to post on boards where they work. Spread the word.

-- Ask a price. People show more respect for something they've paid for; furthermore, a price tag dampens the interest of profiteers, such as those who collect "free to a good home" pets for sale to research labs or to dog fighters. A good rule of thumb: Charge an amount to cover the cost of the spaying or neutering, and vaccinations. That makes sense to prospective adopters because it's money they would have had to spend anyway. Even better: Have them pay the veterinarian directly when they're picking up the animal you've dropped off for altering and shots. That way you can be sure the pet is off to a great start.

-- Don't lie about the pet's problems or why he's being placed. Although finding a new home for an older pet or one with behavior problems takes longer, it can be done. But the person who feels lied to is more likely to bring the pet back or place him somewhere without your knowledge, maybe into a horrible situation.

-- Ask lots of questions and verify that the answers are true. Ask for a telephone number and call back to check it. Ask to see a driver's license. Check out the home in person, and take along a friend. Don't forget to ask prospective adopters if they've had pets before and what happened to them. Make sure you're dealing with people who realize that owning a pet is a long-term commitment.

Above all, take your time. Young, small pets are generally easier to place, as are some purebreds. But if you keep looking, you'll be able to find a home even for a pet that's older, has health problems or is disabled. I still get cards from some of the families in which I placed pets, and there's nothing better than knowing a pet I saved is set for life.

Pets on the Web: Birds n Ways (www.birdsnways.com) offers articles on health, behavior and nutrition as well as links to a fabulous array of bird clubs, veterinary sites and merchandisers. Among the must-see areas is a page of links to articles and Web sites on individual bird species, complete with a search engine to help narrow things down to a manageable few.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

If you struggle to get your pet to take a pill, you're probably going to hate me when I tell you how my senior dog Andy takes his medication, morning and night.

I ask him if he wants "pills and cookies," and he trots to the hall closet where I keep the medicines. I ask him to sit, and he does. "Open mouth," I say, tapping his eyetooth, and he does. I drop the pills on his tongue, kiss his nose and he swallows them, to much praise. All three dogs immediately get a little treat, then we're done.

"I knew Andy was perfect," a friend once said after observing this feat, "but I had no idea he was THAT perfect."

I'd love to take credit for this angelic behavior, but I really can't. Andy is the only dog I've ever known who honestly doesn't mind being pilled. Benjamin, on the other hand, is more normal in this regard. He defies my every effort to hide medicine in goodies, keeps the pills in his jowls after swallowing the camouflage and spits them out when he thinks I'm not looking. If I try to pill him without the subterfuge, he wrestles, he cries, and he sulks afterward. Thank heavens Benjamin is rarely in need of anything more than a chewable monthly heartworm pill -- which he likes.

Pilling pets is second only to trimming nails on the list of things pet lovers would rather pass on. While you can ask your veterinarian or groomer to keep nails in shape, at some point in your pet's life you're not going to be able to avoid giving pills. So you'd better learn how.

There are two ways to go about this: straightforward and sneaky. Which way works best depends on you and your pet. It doesn't hurt to experiment a little, as long as you're getting that medication down your pet's throat.

The straightforward approach is a little different for cats and dogs. For cats, take a firm but gentle grip on your pet's head from above, pry open his jaw with the index finger of your other hand, and press the pill far enough back on the tongue to trigger swallowing. For dogs, grip the muzzle from above, pinching inward with index finger and thumb while you open the mouth with the other index finger. From there it's the same: Poke the pill as far back as you can to trigger swallowing. Holding the muzzle skyward and stroking your pet's throat will help.

A variation on this, especially useful for cats, is using a "pill gun." These plastic devices, available in pet-supply stores and catalogs, enable you to put the pill on the tip and then press it to the top of your pet's throat more accurately, quickly and easily than with your finger.

Easier read than done, you say? Here's another tip: Although veterinarians and veterinary-health technicians can make pill-popping look like an easy, one-person job, you're likely to find the task easier at first if you have someone else hold your pet while you pill him.

If that doesn't work, try the sneaky approach. Subterfuge works better on dogs than on cats, because cats are generally much more cautious about what they eat -- you're not fooling them at all by dressing up that pill. For dogs, peanut butter, hot dogs, liverwurst and cheese are probably the most popular pill disguisers, but tastes vary. A reader wrote me once about a dog who'd eat pills hidden in the cavity of a green olive.

A final word: As with anything your pet would rather avoid, be patient, gentle and firm when giving medication, and follow with praise. If you're having trouble medicating your pet, have your veterinarian walk you through it, or discuss alternatives.

Pets on the Web: Some folks think they have faces only a mother could love, but I disagree. The meaty, jowly and occasionally drooling chops of the bulldog and its related breeds are wonderful. If you feel the same way, you must visit Bulldog Dot Org (http://www.bulldog.org), a marvelously clever site with everything for fanciers of these breeds, including a national anthem.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Cats are among the easiest animals to live with as pets, which in part accounts for their massive and ever-growing appeal. Cats are naturally quiet, clean, affectionate and largely self-sufficient, capable of adapting to any kind of dwelling and any type of family.

But when things go wrong, they go very wrong from the human point of view. Behaviors that are quite natural to a cat can cause us humans to react with dismay and anger.

One of these flash points in feline-human relations is urine spraying.

The application of urine to mark territory, which we call "spraying," is different from the release of urine to eliminate waste from the body. The cat who's marking territory backs up to the object he wants to mark and sprays urine backward, with his tail held high and quivering, alternating his weight on his back feet. Although both male and female cats spray, unneutered males are the biggest offenders, followed by unspayed females in season.

The first rule of dealing with this stinky problem is to make sure that your pet is altered: This procedure takes care of the problem in 90 percent of the cases if done before sexual maturity is attained, at about six months.

For those cats who don't respond to altering, physical or environmental stresses, such an illness or a new person in the house, may be triggering the spraying. Check with your veterinarian to be sure your pet is in good health, and discuss anti-anxiety drugs while you're there -- for your cat, not you -- if you're pretty sure the stress is environmental.

A common reason for cats to start spraying is the introduction of an additional cat. It's always a good idea to introduce cats slowly, by keeping the new cat sequestered in a single room with food, water, cat box, scratching post and toys for a week or more.(Yes, you should visit him often!) If you've just sort of thrown the new one in and now you've got problems, separate them for a while into their own territories, then reintroduce them slowly. It may be temporary, or not: Some cats will eventually be able to share food bowls and cat boxes, but others never will.

Discourage fresh marking by cleaning sprayed areas thoroughly and covering them with foil. (Cats dislike anything involving foil, and the sound of urine hitting it really annoys them.) Putting plastic carpet runners with the point-side up around the marked spot will also discourage revisiting the area. Another deterrent is two-sided tape; cats don't like to walk on sticky surfaces.

Don't hit your cat for spraying, even if you catch him in the act; doing so makes him even more insecure and likely to mark. Clap to distract your cat instead.

No, you don't have to spend the rest of your life with foil on your furniture or plastic on your floor. Nor do you have to keep your cat in a single room for the rest of his life. But these things are key to training your cat to give up a behavior he finds natural. And chances are if you're reasonable and consistent in your approach, you won't be living with that urine smell for long.

If you're just not getting through to your cat, though, or if you're getting angry enough to think about getting rid of your pet, ask your veterinarian for a referral to a behaviorist. Better yet, ask for help in the beginning. A good behavorist will save you time, money and aggravation, and will help you return to loving your cat much sooner.

Pets on the Web: For information on everything from goldfish to the most elaborate saltwater setups, FINS: The Fish Information Service (www.actwin.com/fish/index.cgi) is one of the best resources online. FINS is an exhaustive collection of articles on fish-keeping as well as links to other related Web sites, information about e-mail lists and notes on the best places to secure equipment. It's all neatly and logically organized, too, with a minimum of graphic fuss, except for some lovely bubbles.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies" and "Cats for Dummies," and is the editorial director of the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600