Cats in crisis

Dessin Animal Shelter strives to cope

By SANDY LONG

HONESDALE, PA — It’s that time of year when beauty abounds as the harvest is brought in and regional forests display a changing panorama of brilliant color. It is also the time when area shelters can become overrun with cats. Most are the result of the culmination of the breeding season, which begins in early spring and concludes in late fall as cold weather approaches.

Dessin Animal Shelter was already beset with an abundance of cats and kittens when it received a call about a potential animal abuse case at the Pocono Ranchette development in Sterling Township that resulted in the recent confiscation of 19 additional cats. When Dessin’s Humane Society police officer Marlene Metzger and state dog warden Jim Rickert investigated, they observed the odor of feces and urine from outside the home. Matters were made worse by the discovery that the property where the alleged neglect was taking place was to change ownership that night.

A temporary caregiver agreed to surrender a dog found at the residence to Metzger. The following day, 19 cats ranging in age from four days to approximately 11 years, were turned over to Metzger. The cats were found to be “filthy, infested with fleas and some with severe skin problems.” Despite this neglect, Metzger reports the cats were friendly and calm. Following transport to the shelter, the cats were bathed, vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas and examined for health problems.

On top of the already crowded conditions at the shelter, the burden placed on shelter resources is substantial. The shelter reports that 20 to 30 new cats arrive at the shelter each week. With limited facilities, Dessin is urgently seeking new homes for the cats in order to avoid having to euthanize them or any of the current residents to make room.

Stopping the cycle

It’s a problem that can be avoided, said Metzger, by a common surgical procedure that renders an animal unable to reproduce. Metzger, who sees the end result of endless litters, said, “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no excuse for having an unspayed animal. It’s a pet owner’s responsibility.”

When it comes to cats, the supply far exceeds the demand for adoption, said shelter manager Sue Frisch. Cats with intact reproductive systems can produce between two to three litters per season, with one to eight kittens in a litter. When they end up at a shelter, sometimes the only option is euthanasia. And since kittens are more desirable to adopters, it is usually the older felines who must be euthanized to make room. “In a perfect world, this wouldn’t be necessary,” said Metzger. “But in reality, there’s only so much room and resources. Room is room. Cages are cages. When they’re full, they’re full.”

Dessin tries to schedule incoming cats in order to avoid such situations. But it’s not always possible to do so, particularly in the event of incidences such as the recent cruelty case.

Metzger and other Dessin staff members said that there should be laws requiring pet owners to spay or neuter their pets. But until that day, the shelter requires all pets that pass through their doors to be sterilized before adoption. The shelter also offers a spay/neuter voucher program where pet owners purchase a voucher for $15, then use it like a coupon to gain a reduction in surgical costs of $35 for male cats and $50 for females. There are also veterinary insurance programs available today that cover the costs of spaying and neutering.

When it comes to cats born in the wild, or feral cats, Metzger would like to see Dessin receive funding and volunteer support to institute a trap-spay-release program. Such programs bring together veterinarians who perform the surgeries at reduced fees and volunteers who coordinate the necessary steps ranging from trapping the animals in live capture units, transporting them for surgery and vaccinations, then returning them to the environments where they serve useful purposes such as rodent control. To start the program, the shelter needs volunteers with grant writing skills to help secure the initial funds.

Dessin Animal Shelter can usually accommodate approximately 40 cats and their resources are currently stretched thin as they work to provide care for nearly 60 cats. Those who are unable to adopt a cat this time can help by making a financial contribution or providing cat food or litter. The shelter is located at 138 Miller Drive behind the Wayne County Fairgrounds. For more information visit www.DessinShelter.com or call 570/253-4037.