Sixty felines have a lot to be grateful for today. They moved out of the Española Animal Shelter last weekend and are spending Thanksgiving in new homes—hopefully warm and loving homes throughout Northern New Mexico.
News editor Kevin Bersett attended the adoption fair, held Nov. 21 and 22, and interviewed Community Outreach Coordinator Nina Chiotasso. You can watch the two minute video at www.riograndesun.com
Chiotasso said the shelter was hoping for 50 adoptions and when the fur stopped flying Sunday they had sent 60 spayed or neutered cats to good homes.
The cat population growth spurt occurred because of the kitten surrenders over the summer. They don’t stay kittens. Time takes over and they’re now cats. Chiotasso said they’re not old; they’re now five months old and people want kittens, not cats.
But they’re not cats really, they’re teenagers. And we all know the energy teenagers have.
“They’re very young, very spunky and lively babies,” she said.
The problem as always is that many Northern New Mexico pet-owners just refuse to be responsible. Cats and dogs aren’t being spayed or neutered. And when the pet-owner decides kittens or puppies weren’t such a good idea, they abandon them at the shelter on Hamm Parkway. So what was their problem, now becomes the shelter’s and taxpayers.
“We’re an open door shelter,” Chiotasso said.
That means they take all animals dropped off. She said she’d rather take in an animal and give it a chance at adoption than turning them away.
The shelter is designed to hold 70 cats comfortably. Before the adoption extravaganza, they had 240 in care. They were doubled and tripled in cages. So do the math and you’ll find we still have a problem. Chiotasso stressed the cats need a healthy, clean and comfortable environment. It’s as much for their mental wellbeing as their physical.
Shelter manager Denise London said they balance the shelter limits with foster homes throughout Española and Los Alamos. There are currently 146 kittens in foster homes (private residences). These are cats that can’t be spayed or neutered yet, she said.
About half of the dogs the shelter takes in are transferred to Colorado. However, the cat population growth crisis is nationwide so they can’t be transferred to shelters already overrun by purr machines.
As always, you can help. The next time you go buy dog or cat food for your home, pick up an extra bag or case of cans and drop it off at the shelter. Kitty litter: ditto. The shelter always needs money but if you can just bring in a bag of food, it helps a lot.
Most importantly, please don’t encourage the problem. Get your pets spayed or neutered. It’s easy, inexpensive (if not free) and will make the County a better place to live. The most heartless person will be persuaded if he takes a walk through the cages at the shelter. It’s not a good place for any animal to find itself, even in the best conditions.