Shelter overflowing with cats
By Christine Cowett Robinson
Cats everywhere! I visited the shelter recently and could not believe how many cats we have. It is so sad because they are beautiful, clean, friendly cats.
Where did they come from? Why are they here? Many of the cats surrendered to CAHS are there because their owners “don’t have time” for them. I wonder if maybe our economy is playing a huge role in this matter. Times are tough, and we understand that pets are expensive, but are they not part of the family too? When you take an animal into your home, that is a commitment for the rest of that animal’s life, not for one year or four years; a cat or dog can live well into its teens and some even beyond. Please consider that before you adopt.
If you call the shelter with a cat to surrender, please note, you may be put on a waiting list. That means we have no cage space available. The towns contract with us to take their stray animals; they pay us a fee for taking in their strays and we must honor our contract by never turning stray animals away that comes from a town who contracts with us. If there is no room, there is no room. You will be put on a waiting list and we will eventually take your cat, it just may not be immediate, so be patient.
I had a call the other day from someone who’s mother has 30 cats! “How did that happen” I asked him. According to the caller, people kept dropping cats off at her house, she would feed them but never got them fixed because she could not afford to. Red flag people!! If someone drops a cat off and you cannot afford to have it fixed or do not want to keep it, that is called a stray and needs to come to the shelter. Do not wait until you have a bunch of cats breeding and then ask for help. The time to ask is immediately. We cannot take 30 cats; it is impossible. But even if we take five or so at a time, that leaves the rest to continue breeding and the problem is never solved. With this many cats you also run into the spreading of diseases. Nip it in the bud, don’t let it get out of control.
The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association (APPMA) regularly conducts a National Pet Owners Survey. In its most recent survey for 2005/06, the APPMA estimated that there were 164.4 million cats and dogs, consisting of 73.9 million dogs and 90.5 million cats. How many households have a cat, dog or both? According to the Pet Food Institute, at the end of 2004 there were 60.7 million households with a cat, dog or both, up from 53 million in 1991.With the U.S. Census Bureau estimate of 109 million households in 2004, that means that 55 percent of households had a cat, dog or both.
One cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 offspring in six years! So what is the solution? Have your animals spayed or neutered, it is that simple. If you cannot afford to do so, don’t get a pet. Simple, end of story. Don’t become part of the problem, be part of the solution!!
Remember, the Central Aroostook Humane Society is offering a special deal on cats. From Sept. 19-30, each cat at the shelter with a special cage tag will be half off the regular adoption price. So help us find homes for some of our cats and stop by the shelter.
How about becoming a volunteer? The shelter is always looking for people to volunteer their time helping the homeless animals. You must be 16 or older or be accompanied by an adult to volunteer. What do volunteers do? They help clean cages, do dishes, walk dogs, fold papers, mow the lawn, make phone calls, greet the public, socialize cats, do laundry, work at fundraisers; there is always lots to do. If you are interested in helping out the homeless animals at CAHS, please stop by to learn more. We also have our auxiliary group Friends of CAHS who does some of their own fundraising and supports the board. So join us in making the lives of the homeless dogs and cats a little bit better.
The Central Aroostook Humane Society is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. You can also visit us online at www.centralaroostookhumanesociety.org.
