OGDEN — The Weber County Animal Shelter has too many cats and kittens, including about 70 cats that were pulled from a single home, and it is stretching the shelter and the staff to its limits.
The shelter has nearly 200 cats and kittens, including dozens rescued from a home in the 100 block of Jefferson Avenue, from an animal hoarder over the past week.
It took officials days to search the house and locate all the animals inside. The owner had cats ranging from a week old up to ages 5 or 6. The sudden influx following the house’s discovery has left shelter workers struggling to keep up.
“We were as high as almost 200 as of Tuesday and Wednesday,” said shelter director Chad Ferrin.
Solutions like doubling and tripling kennels have been considered, but Ferrin has been trying to avoid that.
“If we put a cat in there that has some disease that we don’t know right off the bat, that cat could potentially infect the other cats in that kennel,” Ferrin said.
This has been a very busy cat season even before the discovery of the crowded home, Ferrin noted.
“We see an influx, or increase in the numbers of cats during March, April, May, and then it will start to tail off (in) June and July. But this year it hasn’t happened,” Ferrin said. “We’ve just stayed full.”
The shelter, at 1373 N. 750 West, continues to bring in about three or four more cats and kittens every day.
The Utah Animal Advocacy Foundation is one volunteer organization working with the shelter to ease the sudden burden. It specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of homeless animals.
"It makes me sad," said Maryjo Korb with the foundation. "Too many cats, too many homeless ones now, now that they’re here, and we’re at the height of cat season, and it’s hard to keep up.”
About 50 cats have been picked up through rescue groups.
“We wanted to help as much as we can with our small little group,” Korb said.
Donations are pouring in, and Ferrin said the shelter could really use more kitty litter, kitten food and kitten milk replacer.
And while the shelter appreciates the donations, it says what the cats and kittens really need are homes. People with questions on how to adopt a cat or kitten can contact the shelter at 801-399-8244.
“We still have an awful lot of cats,” Ferrin said. “We need to have a whole lot more adoptions.”
Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc
Email: manderson@deseretnews.com