TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County said the Pet Resource Center is overflowing with cats as the county's only open-admissions shelter reached record high numbers of felines.
The shelter reported a population of around 352 cats, which officials said is about 628% of the stated capacity. The shelter is working with local pet rescue groups and foster parents to help house the overflow, but they are asking residents to adopt cats.
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"We’re seeing owners that are unable to care for their pets any longer. We’re seeing strays coming in," said Chelsea Waldeck, the Division Director at the Pet Resource Center. "We’re seeing sick and injured animals coming in, and we’re also seeing animals that unfortunately like an animal control case of 60 that came in that were just abandoned in a home after somebody had left.”
Staff said most of the cats would make ideal indoor pets, but they also have a "Working Cats" program.
“Maybe you’re looking for like a working-type cat, so one for your barn or your brewery or your warehouse to help keep those rodent populations down," said Waldeck.
The Pet Resource Center is located at 440 N. Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa. The center is open for adoption from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Residents can view the adoptable pets online here.
“Right now, thanks to a grant from the ASPCA, we do have fee-waived adoptions, so it will not cost you anything to come in and pick up a cat or a dog," said Waldeck. "Maybe you’re interested in a dog. We have a lot of those too.”
If adoption isn't possible, the shelter is always looking for people to foster or simply volunteer their time.
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