Prince William Shelter Has too Many Cats

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — The Prince William County Animal Shelter has approximately triple the number of cats in the Shelter than it has capacity to maintain in a healthy, safe environment.

The Animal Shelter is an open-admission, public shelter that must accept all animals brought to it regardless of behavior or health, and it becomes especially challenging each year from late spring through summer because too many kittens are born of cats that have not been spayed or neutered.

The easiest way to help reduce the overwhelming numbers of unwanted cats is to spay and neuter your cat(s) and encourage others to do the same. Unaltered cats will search for a mate, and mating can lead to dozens of unwanted cats.

These unwanted cats and kittens are often left on the street to fend for themselves (and they are picked up by Animal Control as strays). Other times, they are surrendered to the Shelter by people moving away, going on vacation, or finding unwanted cats on their property. Animal Shelter resources are stretched to the limit as the Shelter staff and veterinary services attempt to cope with the overwhelming number of cats. The risk of untreatable disease spreading among the animals in the Shelter’s care increases with the rise in Shelter population.

The huge numbers of cats cared for by the Shelter will not decrease without the public’s help. We need you to help us help our four legged friends by:

? Adopting a cat (or two) from the Animal Shelter

? Becoming a foster cat parent

? Helping the Shelter in the summer – and year round – by donating time, supplies, and more.

? Spaying or neutering your cats.

For more information on how you can help companion animals – cats, in particular – as well as assist the Shelter this summer and beyond, please visit the Prince William County Animal Shelter at 14807 Bristow Road (off Route 234 across from the Prince William County Landfill). You can visit our website: www.pwcgov.org/animalshelter, send us an email: animalshelter@pwcgov.org; or call 703-792-6465.