A cat a day for the holidays in Greene County
Cats are being housed in outdoor exercise pens because the humane society has more than 100 cats.
Craig Wise, board member for the Humane Society of Greene County, counts cats being housed in outdoor exercise pens. The cages are covered in blankets to help keep the cats warm.
WAYNESBURG – Monday was a busy day at the Humane Society of Greene County, but it was a good kind of busy.
Because of the number of cats at the shelter in Franklin Township, the organization this month is sharing a “cat a day” on its Facebook page.
As of Wednesday, 17 cats were adopted since the campaign started.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
The Humane Society of Greene County is featuring a “cat a day” on its Facebook page in hopes of having 25 cats adopted by Thanksgiving.
“We’ve been busy every day since that hit Facebook,” executive director Jane Gapen said. “We certainly need, more than anything this month, we need adopters.”
The goal is to have at least 25 cats adopted by Thanksgiving.
“We need your help to find homes for at least 25 cats by Thanksgiving (which will give us lots to be thankful for!),” the post said. “We currently have over 100 cats and kittens at the shelter, and we are full to overflowing.”
So far, the humane society has taken in 535 cats in 2017. To compare, the shelter took in 664 in 2016, and will most likely surpass that number by the end of the year.
Humane societies across the country are used to getting inundated with kittens in the spring and summer months. But more kittens are now coming into shelters later in the summer and even early fall. Gapen said they were seeing cats come in until about three weeks ago.
The humane society also has five outdoor kennels for exercise that are being used to house some cats outside. They’re hoping enough are adopted to get them all indoors before the snow starts falling. Tuesday, while counting cats stashed in kennels throughout the building, Gapen said that their current numbers are way above normal.
There were 118 cats at the humane society Tuesday, not counting five being fostered, six at PetSmart and eight at Petco near Washington.
Cats are in the hallways, in the lobby and wherever else staff can find space for a kennel. Outdoor kennels are covered in blankets to help insulate the heat and keep the cats warm.
Those wanting to help but not looking to adopt can donate the cost of an adoption, which is around $60. Monetary donations are always welcome, but other items they could use include unscented clay litter, Purina canned food and toys.
The Humane Society of Greene County is open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. They also take donations online. For more information, visit their website, greenepet.org, or call 724-627-9988.