A massive influx of rescued cats has been straining the Joint Animal Services shelter on Martin Way since last week, prompting officials to ask the public for help.
Field Service Officers have rescued 147 cats from "horrendous conditions" at an undisclosed Thurston County home up Cooper Point Road, said Animal Services executive director Sarah Hock. They initially removed 115 on Wednesday, April 26 and are continuing to recover more, she added.
"We have capacity to hold about 95 animals at our facility," Hock said. "Now we're upwards of 250 animals in our care. Thankfully we have about 50 of those in foster, but we're still extremely over capacity."
Animal Services has asked the public to help alleviate the strain. The newly recovered cats are not ready for adoption, but Hock said the public can adopt already available animals, donate supplies, volunteer at the shelter, or foster animals.
"We definitely need more people to come in and adopt the animals that we have ... and get them out of here," Hock said. "Although we do our best to care for them, this is not the best place for them to be. The best place for them is in a home."
About 30 cats have been taken in by shelter and rescue partners across the region, Hock said. But that still leaves many for Animal Services to handle at a time when fewer people are adopting animals than they were during the pandemic.
At the shelter, the rescued cats fill most of the available enclosures and additional cages have been stacked in a conference room. Some cages even hold multiple cats. The cats are largely underweight, dehydrated and need to be spayed or neutered.
"They are all undergoing medical evaluation to make sure that they're OK health wise," Hock said. "But so far, (most) everybody looks good. ... I would say maybe 10 or so have really needed a little bit more extensive treatment."
Hock said they found the cats in a "bleak" environment with little food or water. Garbage and feces littered the home, and the carpets were soaked with urine, she said.
"The smell of ammonia was so strong that we all had to wear respirators going into the house, for safety," Hock said. "Cats had pried open the ventilation and were actually sliding down into the air ducts."
Many cats also had taken refuge in the crawlspace underneath the home, Hock said. The team initially put out food and water to draw as many out as possible, she said, and most of the cats were easily persuaded.
"There are some that are really skittish, some that are feral ... but for the most part they're friendly," Hock said. "There were some cats we were scooping up and they were rubbing their faces on our respirator."
Animal Services had been negotiating the large cat surrender with the resident on the property for weeks, Hock said. The situation became urgent last week when the resident was evicted from the home, she said.
"This was a person who had the best intentions," Hock said. "You start out with a couple of cats, you can't say no, you bring more in, there's a stray at your door, there's a lack of spay-neuter and with cats it easily gets out of hand very quickly."
Sierra Teas, Field Services Supervisor, said she's noticed many people post negative comments about the resident on social media. Teas called on the public to be compassionate.
"They do care for these animals," Teas said. "It doesn't look like the way that you and I might be caring for animals, but they know these animals' names, they know when they go missing. They are really important to them, so when they are releasing them into our custody, that is very huge for them and it's very hard."
Hock expects most of the adult cats to be easily adoptable in about two weeks, but the youngest ones may not be ready for months. She said the few feral ones may do well in a working environment, such as a barn, brewer or vineyard.
Animal Services has not had to euthanize an animal due to time or space constraints in seven years, but Hock said they may have to resort to that if the situation doesn't improve.
"When we're at capacity like this, it starts to take some of our options away," Hock said. "This is why we try to be transparent about where we're at ... because that means it's time for the community to help a little bit too, any way that they can."
Readily adoptable animals, including cats, dogs and bunnies, are listed on the Joint Animal Services website.
The shelter needs a variety of supplies, food and toys for the animals in its care. People interested in donating can buy items from an online wish list.
Anyone willing to volunteer at the shelter or foster an animal can sign up via the Joint Animal Services website as well.
