Having taken in 27 sick, injured and abandoned kittens and cats in the past week, the Portage Animal Protective League is looking for caring foster parents.
The APL’s 70 cat cages are full, about 50 cats and kittens are with foster parents and about five more fosters willing to bottle feed and care for infant kittens are needed, APL Executive Director Chalan Lowry said.
“Babies are so reliant on mothers, attention and warmth … all the things that a shelter doesn’t have, so foster parents are really important, and kittens are really susceptible to disease and illness and all kinds of things, so them being out of the shelter with a mother is really important to their survival,” Lowry said.
Foster parents may find themselves bottle feeding kittens round the clock, handling their post-surgical care and keeping vet appointments to ensure healthy growth. Via donations, the APL covers all vet care costs, food and other supplies.
Since mild winters translate to dog and cat baby booms and the recent pandemic led to more people adopting pets than ever before, Lowry wonders if those factors, plus a shortage of veterinarians and the rising costs of vet care, medicines and pet supplies, explain why the APL is seeing unprecedented numbers of needy animals.
“That’s our mission. We’re the only group that will take the sick, injured, abused and abandoned animals, especially cats. People call us when there’s animals in need and no one else is going to be able to take them. We can’t leave them to die, so we take them and make sure they get the care they need,” she said.
Also in the past week, the APL took in six dogs found running in a local field, adding to the 30 owner-surrender, abused and neglected pups already in cages and foster care. To keep cats and dogs housed in overfull Ohio shelters from being euthanized, the Portage APL also welcomes them whenever possible.
“We have been inundated so far this spring, and now… TWENTY-SEVEN sick, injured and abandoned kittens and cats have been rescued in the last week!” Portage APL posted on its Facebook page. “Some left in boxes, infected with fleas, some found motherless, and all in need of serious care. Some babies have so many fleas that they are suffering from anemia and need round the clock care. Many are underweight while others have eye infections.”
To sign up to be a cat or kitten foster pet parent, contact shelter manager Cyndi Williams [email protected] or call 330-296-4022 ext. 103. The shelter is always looking for puppy and dog foster parents, as well, but right now kittens and cats are the priority, Lowry said.
To donate funds, food or pet supplies, visit portageapl.org. People also can order items online and have them shipped directly to the shelter. All donations are tax deductible.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.