TODAY’S COLUMN - PW Police Department talks about “Cat Days of Summer”

Prince William County Animal Shelter now has its highest volume of cats of the year. Cats and kittens have been surrendered by owners who are moving, travelling, or have developed allergies. This means the cat cages at the Shelter are overflowing by one-third above capacity!

In addition to partnering with numerous rescue groups, the Shelter places cats and kittens in loving foster homes while they wait to be placed for adoption. The rescues and fosters are full of cats as well. The Shelter asks the public to help out by following these guidelines:

 A friend or family member may be willing to help. Please contact trusted family members or friends who may be able to care for your pet on a temporary or long-term basis.

 If health or behavior problems are motivating you to surrender your pet, many health and behavior problems can be resolved simply by
spaying or neutering your pet. Please contact the Shelter for information about low-cost spay or neuter options. For further information to address behavior problems without surrendering your pet, please contact the Shelter or go to http://www.pwcgov.org/animalshelter

 If you are having behavior problems and need information or resources, please contact the Shelter.

 If you are having moving/rental issues that make you have to surrender your pet, many websites exist to help renters find pet-friendly housing. Simply search for ‘pet-friendly housing’ in the area you are moving to, or contact the Shelter for pet-friendly housing options in our area.

 Please consider adopting a cat from the Shelter.

 Please consider volunteering to be a foster parent for our cats and kittens.

 If you see a healthy stray cat, leave it in place so it can potentially find its way home. The Shelter asks residents to leave healthy stray cats where they find them.

 If you are thinking about surrendering a cat or kitten, consider keeping it through the summer until the volume of cats and kittens entering shelters and rescues slows down.

 Spay or neuter all tame cats you currently own.

 Unless there is an immediate threat, leave kittens in place where their mother can find them. If you need to move the kittens, place them nearby where the mother can find them.

 If you must intervene with kittens, offer to help the Shelter by providing in-home foster care until the kittens are 8-10 weeks of age.

 If you have a cat that is pregnant, keep the mother and babies until the kittens are 8 – 10 weeks of age to help the Shelter conserve foster homes for kittens who otherwise have no place to go. Keep the mother cat in your home until after all the kittens are adopted and consider spaying the mother cat.