See Photos of Those Awaiting Homes
In response to an above-average number of homeless cats in Utah animal shelters, the Humane Society of Utah set a goal to find homes for 400 cats and kittens in four weeks. Adoption fees were waived for all felines between Oct. 20 through Nov. 16, 2019, at the Humane Society of Utah adoption center located at 4242 S. 300 W. in Murray, Utah. As a result, 521 cats and kittens found new loving homes, and 298 cats were transferred in from 17 local shelters and rescue groups. The Humane Society of Utah typically adopts an average of 222 cats each month.
“We are humbled by the response from our community to help these cats,” said Juli Ulvestad, operations director for the Utah Humane Society. “We set an ambitious goal, but we knew we had to do something to help after seeing the abundance of cats in every shelter. We’re beyond excited that so many people chose to adopt a cat, and we’re thankful to everyone who helped care for these animals and spread the word.”
The Humane Society of Utah clinic performed 358 feline spay and neuter surgeries in 12 days during the campaign. “Spaying and neutering your pet is vital to prevent unwanted animals from entering shelters,” said Ulvestad.
Some of the cats and kittens accepted by the Humane Society of Utah during this period needed medical attention. “We treated many cats for illness and performed other medical procedures,” said Ulvestad. “Many kittens were too young to be adopted and were sent to foster volunteer homes. We’re very grateful to our fosters who cared for these babies until they could be adopted. Overall, volunteers spent an extra 200 hours helping our cats this month.”
Animals were transferred to the Utah Humane Society from other shelters and rescue groups to ease their burden. Partners included: Davis County Animal Care and Control, Grantsville City Animal Control, Heber City Animal Services, Herriman City Animal Services, Nephi City Animal Control, North Utah Valley Animal Shelter, Nuzzles & Co, Salt Lake County Animal Services, Sandy Animal Services, South Jordan Animal Services, South Salt Lake Animal Services, South Utah Valley Animal Shelter, Summit County Animal Control, Uintah Animal Control and Shelter, Central Utah Wag-N-Train and West Valley Animal Services. “We couldn’t have saved so many lives without everyone’s contribution,” said Ulvestad.
Most shelters struggle to handle the thousands of cats and kittens they receive during the warmer months each year. This season has seen an increase in cat and kitten intake to shelters across the state. The Humane Society of Utah believes it may be a combination of warm weather, a lack of spay/neuter resources, and cities and counties not providing enough support for community cat programs and animal control services.
Although the waived adoption fee campaign for cats has ended, there is still a need to find homes for all the animals at the Humane Society of Utah. To view all adoptable pets, visit UtahHumane.org/adopt and visit the Humane Society of Utah adoption center located at 4242 S. 300 W. in Murray, Utah, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
