Archive: News

The Accidental Hoarder: An elderly resident of Dryden needed help: his 4 unaltered cats had grown to a population of 50.  While he was able to provide ample food, water, and shelter to the cats, he had become completely overwhelmed and the majority of the cats were in very poor health.  We learned of this about two weeks ago and began helping immediately by catching and removing the cats and kittens from the property, providing medical care, spayed and neutered everyone possible, and placed kittens in foster care in the hopes that they will grow up healthy.

Felicia, one of the cats abandoned in our parking lotCats Abandoned at Shelter: On Monday June 6, after the shelter had closed, a person driving by spotted two large cat carriers in our parking lot - full of cats! The passerby called our emergency number and the animal services officer on call drove to the shelter immediately. He discovered 14 adult cats crammed into the two carriers. Aside from upper respiratory infections and their unsanitary conditions, we expect them all to survive. Had they been left any other time during the extreme temperatures of last week, they may have all perished. We extend huge thanks to the Good Samaritan who called this in and to our Animal Services staff who is on call 24hours a day, 365 days a year.

Cats Left in Trailer Home: The very next day, local folks moving into a trailer home discovered an unexpected housewarming gift. Three adult cats and four kittens were left behind in the home by the previous tenants. All of the kitties were OK, but were immediately surrendered to the shelter. The adults needed to be vaccinated, spayed/neutered and medically evaluated immediately. The kittens will need several weeks of care before they are big enough for surgery and available for adoption..

Aslan, prior to adoptionA Shelter of Hope: Aslan was found on the side of the road with a ruptured eye, a tiny kitten with a lion's heart. He was brought to the shelter and stabilized. After a costly and complicated surgery, his damaged eye was removed, he spent several weeks in foster care, and was adopted within just a few days of being healthy enough to go home. At almost any other shelter, Aslan may have never been a candidate for treatment.

What does all of this mean? This means we were going about our work as usual.  Helping community members with problems, saving animals from abandonment, abuse, and neglect. Saving as many of the 72 unwanted cats as we can. Working to investigate hoarding issues. Providing low- and no-cost spay/neuter services, and providing much needed medical care. We rely entirely on our community to help us keep saving lives and rescuing animals in need.

Unfortunately, the cases highlighted above are not unusual. These occur with disappointing frequency. If we were not here, not one of these cats would have been saved. Their care and the care of every animal in our shelter, from Maggie the 13 year old dog whose guardian entered a nursing home and could no longer provide care,  to Gretchen and Dominic, mother & puppy strays found weeks ago with no one coming forward to claim them, is made possible entirely by donations made by members of our community.

As the new Executive Director, I have been surprised to learn that so many members of our community think we have ample funds to do our work. There seems to be a misconception that we receive government funding or that a few select organizations or families provide all the support we need. This is as far from the truth as a Chihuahua is from a Mastiff.  In the first quarter of 2011, we have lost over $130,000 in grants and private funding compared to the same period in 2010.

On top of this deficit, cases such as these add another layer of unexpected financial burden.  On average, each of the 72 cats will cost about $600 to medically evaluate, treat, spay or neuter, feed and house, all before they are adopted.  This represents a cost of over $42,000 for these three incidents alone. This burden, in addition to our lack of funding, puts our shelter in a critical, and honestly, frightening financial position.

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