In San Luis Obispo County, a big discrepancy exists between the variety of shelter dogs and cats returned to their house owners.
While practically 70 p.c of dogs are returned to their unique house owners, the identical could possibly be mentioned for lower than 10 p.c of cats.
Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART) in Cambria is a cat-specific, no-kill shelter with some gentle to shed on the subject.
Assistant Manager Wendy Wright referred to the longer lifespan of cats and their impartial nature as potential causes for this pattern.
“The incontrovertible fact that cats dwell lots longer than dogs could possibly be a giant issue. Other than that, I’m not likely positive. Cats are actually impartial creatures and possibly folks get the phantasm that they’re gonna be nice,” Wright mentioned.
Although the reason for this pattern is unsure, the ensuing downside is definitive.
“There’s simply so many kittens,” Wright mentioned, “There’s an enormous ready record of kittens needing to be spayed and neutered.”
When so many kittens are born, extra cats are left needing properties. This solely stresses the necessity for cats to be spayed or neutered so they do not give start to kittens in want of extra properties.
Wright added that the kittens HART presently cares for take up two complete rooms on the facility. They’re presently wait-listed for neutering till December as a result of extremely excessive demand.
Despite their excessive capability, the adoption price is not all the time predictable, in keeping with Acting Shelter Manager Kathy Wedle.
“Sometimes we’ve got a complete bunch of adoptions at one time after which different occasions we’ve got gradual occasions,” Wedle mentioned.
She provides that microchipping or the shortage thereof may clarify why some cats by no means get returned to their unique house owners.
“If they don’t have a microchip they might have gotten hit by a automobile or taken in by one other household, so it’s actually good to get them microchipped,” Wedle mentioned.
As a neighborhood member, there are many methods to assist help shelter cats:
- Report stray cats to a shelter close to you
- Take a stray cat to a facility to get neutered
- Adopt a neighborhood shelter cat
- Foster a shelter cat
- Volunteer at a shelter close to you
