Tacoma, WA Humane Society overwhelmed after 80 cats rescued from boat, car
TACOMA, Wash. - The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County is dealing with a mass influx of cats after two animal control calls brought dozens into the shelter.
The backstory:
Rescuers seized 60 cats from a sailboat anchored off Owens Beach in Tacoma on Aug. 6, where officials say they were living in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. Since then, almost all the cats have received medical exams, vaccines and healthcare measures.
Over 30 cats rescued from a boat in Tacoma. (Tacoma Police Department)
As if that wasn't enough, shelter officials say another 20 cats were recently found in an abandoned car, some only a few days old. The cats were exposed to ringworm and are now undergoing medical treatment at the Humane Society.
Now, the Tacoma shelter is calling on the public for cat and kitten fosters, as they are far beyond capacity. A total of 190 cats are in the shelter and an additional 230 cats are in the foster system.
"This large intake can really drastically affect the shelter," said Stefanie Cornell of the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County. "We are already in the summer months where we are already seeing a large number of cats, we call it kitten season in animal welfare with a lot coming in. Prior to this, we already had a lot of animals in the shelter. So these large intakes of cats with a large influx at one time can be incredibly overwhelming and take a lot of resources and put a lot of strain on shelter capacity and population."
What you can do:
Neither group of the newly rescued cats are currently available for adoption. However, shelter officials say the public can support them by signing up to foster animals, purchasing items on the shelter supply wishlist or making a donation.
More information can be found on the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County website.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, the Tacoma Police Department and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.