The Thunder Bay & District Humane Society is facing a kitty crisis.
The Rosslyn Road organization has reached its feline capacity and has decided to waive all adoption fees until Oct. 21 to convince potential pet owners that now is the right time to adopt a cat.
The normal fee is $75 for adult cats.
A $100 refundable deposit on non-spayed or neutered kittens still applies.
“We currently have 112 cats in the shelter. Thirty-four of those are kittens, 20 of which are not ready for adoption,” executive director Maryann Kleynendorst said on Tuesday.
“The rest are all adults, they’ve all been spayed and neutered.
“Our real healthy capacity here is probably about 60 or 70 cats. So we’re in an overcrowding situation right now, which could potentially lead to health issues for our cats and behavioural issues.”
Kleynendorst said they hope by waiving the fees people will be encouraged to come out to the centre, get familiar with some of the animals and decided to take one or two home.
She’s not sure why so many cats have made their way to the Humane Society doors, but noted they’re not alone. On Tuesday the centre received a call from the city’s Animal Services departments, asking if the TBDHS could take in any adult cats as they too were at capacity.
“It does seem to be a little bit seasonal,” she said. “We made this same announcement last August and it’s breeding season for cats. There are an awful lot of cats out there that are not spayed and not neutered. We have one female who came in here with nursing kittens and 10 days later had another litter.
“Cats are very prolific breeders. Females can have a new litter about every 70 days. That’s a lot of cats out there and for some reason people tend to not spay or neuter their cats as frequently as they do with their dogs.”
The message appears to be starting to work.
Doug Baysarowych brought daughter Mikayla to the Humane Society on Tuesday specifically to pick out a free cat.
He heard about the offer through social media.
“We’re looking for a bit of an older cat – not too old, but not too young. We don’t want to get a kitten right now, but I think a little bit older of a cat will probably be simple for her,” he said, pointing to his daughter, who recently turned one.
He and his wife have had animals all their life and want to continue that tradition with their daughter, but with expenses rising, they’re looking to do it inexpensively.
“We just moved into our own house. We’re looking to save money right now, so we got their ad through a friend on Facebook and that’s why we’re here.”
The centre is open seven days a week, from noon to 5 p.m.
