Clownfish, an 18 month old male cat currently residing at APARC, gazes out of his kennel at a crowded adoption room. Clownfish is one of approximately 180 cats currently in APARC's care.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat and area’s overabundance of stray and abandoned animals remains an issue for local rescue organizations – with several operating at near maximum capacity – prompting appeals for the public’s assistance in adoption, fostering and donation.
“We’re just about at 100 per cent (capacity),” APARC manager Steven Wolf told the News. “In the month of August, we had 90 cats brought in and a lot of them were pregnant or had litters. And there’s a lot of concerned citizens out there who absolutely love animals and they continue to bring us cats.”
With approximately 160 cats in APARC’s care – split between its shelter and foster homes – the organization is overwhelmed, particularly in regards to space. While visiting its shelter Wednesday, the News observed no more than five unoccupied cat kennels throughout the facility’s various adoption rooms and intake area; with kennels overflowing into the lobby and all other available spaces. Some kennels housed multiple cats if of the same litter or bonded.
APARC recently raised its Catpacity level to ‘orange’ (the second highest level), communicating in a Facebook post the “great need” for adopters and foster houses. In its post, the organization also warned that if maximum capacity were reached “euthanizing for space becomes a higher risk,” though only considered if all other options have been exhausted.
“(If we reach maximum capacity), the first thing that we’re going to do is reach out to fosters to see if there’s any that want to take on any extra cats,” said Wolf. “The next thing we do is reach out to other rescue shelters within Alberta to see if there’s anything that they’re able to do … Our other option is to do a transfer of animals up to our associated business in Airdrie if they have space available … Other than that, we will make space with pop-up kennels or just doing anything to continue to make room.”
Wolf says is firm in that he and his team will seek all other options prior to euthanizing cats, including additional appeals to the public.
“It is very much a last resort,” he said. “And the euthanization would only occur with animals that are extremely feral to where we cannot socialize with them, or have severe health issues to where the quality of life is not there.”
Other Medicine Hat and area rescues have also recently expressed concerns regarding capacity and heightened demand for services, with the SPCA confirming it is operating at capacity with a wait list for animal surrenders.
Even foster-based organizations (those operating without a shelter) are impacted, says Bunny Run Rabbit Rescue president Amanda Hennessey, while describing the disparity between the number of foster spaces available versus the number of stray bunnies in need of fostering.
“We can’t get ahead of (the stray overpopulation), because we don’t have enough room,” Hennessey said. “It was our hope that we’d have room to bring in all these bunnies, (but) we’re fighting a very uphill battle.”
