TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center is in the middle of a cat crisis.
The shelter, located at 440 N. Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa, is currently holding between 360 and 390 cats on any given day. A normal capacity is around 60. That puts the facility at roughly 700% over capacity, a record the shelter has never seen before.
Chelsea Waldeck, a Division Director at the Pet Resource Center, said the numbers are staggering even by recent standards.
"Our capacity is right around 60 cats, normally. Right now, we're at about 360 to 390 on any given day."
Waldeck said the overcrowding has been building year over year, but this year crossed into new territory.
"Last year we had seen our largest capacity at about 600%. For us to see 700% was unheard of, we hadn't had that in the past."
The shelter is Hillsborough County's only open admissions facility, meaning it accepts cats and dogs regardless of age, breed, or size. That policy means the shelter frequently operates above capacity, but officials say the current numbers are far beyond anything they have managed before.
What's driving the surge
Waldeck said one of the primary factors behind the influx is last year's relatively quiet hurricane season.
"What we see is that, you know, natural selection and that type of process happens when we have those storms rolling through, so when we don't, then we see an influx of kittens the next year, so that's what we're attributing majority of the influx to."
Kitten season at the Pet Resource Center typically runs from April through October, with August historically being the busiest month. This year, Waldeck said the surge arrived earlier than expected.
The shelter is also seeing an increase in surrenders of older cats, which Waldeck attributed to economic pressures on pet owners.
"We're seeing people that are struggling economically; maybe they're just not able to feed or care for their older cats, so we are seeing some surrenders for the older cats, so we have a wide variety of cats and kittens for anyone who might be interested in coming down to take a look."
The 'kitnapping' problem
Shelter officials say another significant contributor to overcrowding is a practice they call "kitnapping": well-intentioned residents finding stray kittens and bringing them to the shelter before they are old enough to be there.
Waldeck urged residents to resist the urge to immediately bring found kittens to the shelter.
"We really want to emphasize that if anybody finds strays, especially kittens, we want to keep them with their moms until they're about eight weeks old, and then they can come into the shelter if they're not sick, they're not injured. Let's keep them with mom. Most likely, mom is out foraging, trying to find food for herself."
The Pet Resource Center runs a program called Wait Until 8, which encourages residents to keep found kittens with their mothers until the kittens reach 8 weeks of age and can be brought to the shelter for adoption. Kittens under 8 weeks do not do well in a shelter environment, Waldeck said, which is why the facility relies heavily on foster families to care for bottle-fed babies until they are old enough for surgery and adoption.
If a kitten or cat is sick or injured, Waldeck said residents should bring the animal in or call the shelter for guidance.
Adoption fees waived
To help move animals out of the shelter and into homes, the Pet Resource Center has waived all adoption fees on cats and kittens.
The shelter is open for adoptions Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed July 3 and July 4 for the holiday. Residents can also view available pets online at HCFL.gov/Adopt.
Rescue partners have stepped in to help, with several organizations taking litters of kittens to create space. But Waldeck said the shelter will continue to feel the pressure throughout the summer.
Visitors already responding
The waived fees and media attention have already drawn visitors to the shelter. Cristina Zulaica stopped by Monday after hearing about the number of cats available for adoption.
"We have a cat at home, she's eight years old, and she had two older sisters who passed away in last, like, five months, so we've been on the fence of, like, when should we bring in a new companion."
Zulaica said she also visited the Humane Society of Tampa Bay earlier in the day before making her way to the Pet Resource Center.
"We went to the Humane Society this morning of Tampa Bay, and they had obviously quite a few cats, but coming here, there's tons available, so I hope there's enough people out there who will adopt them."
Another visitor, Laila, summed up the experience of walking through the shelter simply.
"They're so, they're so nice, and I want one so bad."
Fostering as an option
For residents not ready to commit to adoption, fostering is another way to help. Foster families are especially needed for kittens under 8 weeks old, some of whom require bottle-feeding. For more information on the foster program, visit HCFL.gov/foster or email FosterPets@HCFL.gov.
Fourth of July prep for pet owners
With the Fourth of July approaching, Waldeck said the shelter is already bracing for the annual wave of lost and frightened pets that follows holiday fireworks. That concern is amplified this year given the shelter's record overcrowding.
Waldeck offered several steps pet owners can take now to protect their animals.
"Make sure that your pets are wearing a collar with identifying information on it. And if possible, let's make sure that the pets are microchipped and that microchip information is up to date. We want to start that process now,just to make sure that you know if your neighbors start shooting them off tonight, you're all set for what comes later in the week."
For pets that are sensitive to loud noises, Waldeck recommended confining them to a smaller, quieter space.
"Closets are fantastic for this. Bathrooms are also pretty good."
She also warned dog owners to be especially cautious during fireworks.
"If you have a dog that is terrified of loud noises, make sure you're taking them out on a leash. We don't want them to just go into the backyard, get spooked, and run through a fence, run under a fence, whatever the case may be."
Waldeck also suggested consulting a veterinarian about options to help anxious pets get through the holiday.
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