Christ Yoder
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Deb Potter from the Paws and Claws Adoption Center in Columbus explains the animal shelter’s cat problem.
The Paws and Claws adoption center is facing a feline crisis it has never seen before, officials say.
“Every day we receive three, four, five cats. It’s amazing, ”said Deb Potter, executive director of the Platte Valley Humane Society, which operates as Paws and Claws. “In all of Paws and Claws’ years of openness, I have never seen anything like it.”
Animal shelters often see an increase in the number of cats during kitten season – this is the time from spring to fall when felines will have kittens. But Potter noted that it was worse this year.
The sure way to ensure that a cat is not contributing to the overpopulation problem is to have the animal spayed, if it is female, or spayed, if it is male. Potter noted that cats can breed up to three times a year and can start breeding as early as 3 months old.
“When they come in and we have five, six, seven a day and we adopt one or two, we still have to wait until our vets can take care of them,” Potter said, noting that the vet clinics are experiencing staff shortages, as is the case with many other businesses.
“This is where we meet our problems – until they are resolved and controlled, we cannot get them through and we just don’t have room for them.”
