Homes Sought For 112 Cats After Stray Problem Spins Out Of Control
OTSEGO, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Authorities in Allegan County are trying to find homes for more than 100 cats and kittens that were turned over to a local animal shelter.
Undersheriff Frank Baker said that, a few years ago, a couple in the Otsego area started feeding stray cats and the animals reproduced at a speedy rate.
The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the cats became too costly to feed — with the food bill eventually up to $40 per day — so the couple reached out to the county for help.
"This past Monday, April 6, our little county shelter received 112 cats from one owner surrender," reads a post on the Allegan County animal shelter's Facebook page. "The cages were lined up in two rows with cats and kittens at shelter intake, and now in need of homes."
Barbara Corcoran, executive director of Wishbone Rescue Pet Alliance, which runs the shelter, says 20 of the cats are pregnant.
Wishbone reports an unspayed female cat, her mate and all their offspring, produces 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter that totals 2,107 cats in just 4 years.
James Connell, DVM, the veterinarian who checked the health of the incoming animals, told the Gazette these cats are in good shape.
"This is not like the (Allegan puppy mill) case of a few years ago," he said. This was not a case of neglect, or hoarding — it was just biology out of control, he said — made worse by the good care the cats received.
Those who wish to donate to help these cats can do so via PayPay at wishbonepetrescue.org. Also needed: wet kitten food, dry Science Diet kitten food, paper towels, bleach and non-clumping cat litter.
Both foster home and permanent homes are needed. For information on how to apply to foster one or more of these cats, click here. For an adoption application, click here. For more information, call the shelter at 269-686-5112
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