By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Humane Society dealing with kitty crunch

Jul 17, 2018 | 4:17 PM

If you’re feline up for it, right meow would be an awfully good time to adopt a kitten from the Central Alberta Humane Society.

Not only are they offering adoptions at a massively discounted rate of $50, you would be helping them alleviate a space crunch as the number of kittens they are sheltering continues to proliferate.

“We have approximately 150 in care at the moment and a waiting list of about 120 more to come in,” says Tara Hellewell, Executive Director. “All of these kittens require a greater need for surgeries and healthcare. It can be really tough on a shelter like ours to have a lot of kittens in care, but it’s kitten season and I think it’s something everybody’s experiencing right now.”

ROAR in Rocky Mountain House is experiencing a similar abundance of kittens, so they’ve also resorted to discounts. The Edmonton Humane Society has taken to offering free adoptions.

The easiest solution to this problem, spaying or neutering, is something most people will remember Bob Barker talking about, though Hellewell says his message seemingly only worked for dogs.

residential mill rate to hold steady

Penhold town council approves final tax rate increases

3h ago

tips to prevent fires

Sylvan Lake urges extra caution as dry conditions push fire risk higher

4h ago

Guest speaker Chad Reyes

Premier Danielle Smith addresses Red Deerians at Christian Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

9h ago

“Cats are not valued quite as much as dogs in terms of what we’re willing to do to ensure they don’t reproduce,” she says. “We know it can be expensive, but when you have an animal – in the case of a cat, for 20 years – it’s worth making that investment, both for their healthcare and for the over-population crisis.”

At the end of the day, Hellewell says although they are full, they refuse to euthanize any animals, and are working with other rescues to come up with interim homes or solutions.

“Ultimately what we have to do as a society is ensure we’re spaying and neutering, ensuring animals are not free-roaming. That’s dangerous for them,” says Hellewell, noting that those services are available at a lower rate for low-income homes.

Cash and food donations to the Humane Society are always welcome, she adds.

More information is at CAHumane.com.