News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Warren County Animal Control reporting a record number of animals at its facility with 23 in one day last week.
The shelter was built to hold 15 dogs and 20 cats, a total of 35 animals. As of Friday, the shelter population includes 36 cats and kittens. Director Sherri Bradley said the reason comes from a reluctance to spay or neuter.
“I think one is cost and two is they don’t have enough information,” Bradley said. “They just never really thought about it. A lot of people come in here and we explain it to them, and sometimes they just don’t know that their cats can get pregnant that quickly.”
Bradley said that cats can get pregnant at just three and a half months old, and can have another litter while still nursing a new litter.
Bradley said eventually she wants to host informational programs as a way to increase awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering pets. As for cost, she said people can receive aid through groups like Helping Animals of Warren County.
Bradley said that as for the near future, they want a volunteer who transports animals to shelters in states that have spay and neuter laws.
“A lot of times they don’t have the animals,” Bradley said. “They don’t have puppies or kittens so they’re able to take them there to get homes.”
When they see numbers of this nature, Bradley said employees will take animals home and foster them until they can find space at the shelter. She currently has seven litters of kittens in her care. Since announcing their record number last week, Bradley said there have been three cat adoptions but they still hope for more.
Bradley said in addition to spaying and neutering she warns pet owners to not let their pets run at large, especially if they’re in heat.
