EVERETT — It’s a community problem that is begging for a community solution.
That’s how Hilary Anne Hager with the Everett Animal Shelter sees a recent surge of stray and unwanted cats.
The county’s largest animal shelter is looking for about 50 more foster homes for cats and dogs that aren’t quite ready for adoption. It currently has a pool of about 50 families that take in animals for various periods of time ranging from a few weeks to more than a month.
The Everett shelter euthanized 500 “adoptable” cats last year to make space for incoming animals.
The sick are often the first to go, said Hager.
That means a case of the sniffles can translate into a death sentence for a homeless kitten.
“Any time you have so many cats in one space they swap germs. It’s like kids in day care,” Hager said. The shelter can quarantine a handful of sick cats to isolate illnesses, but space is extremely tight, Hager said.
“If they’re sneezing and we don’t have fosters, we’re having to euthanize them,” she said.
Who needs homes?
Female cats with nursing kittens
Bottle-feeding kittens
Injured or sick cats with easily treated illnesses and injuries
Adult cats that need a little more time to find a good home
Dogs with easily treatable illnesses or injuries
Female dogs with nursing puppies
Dogs that need some attention, training and socializing
Dogs that need a little more time to find a good home
What is provided?
Specialty food when necessary
Collar with ID
Vaccinations
Worming
Flea control
Microchip
Training and information
What’s required?
You must be at least 18.
If you do not own your home, you must have written permission from the landlord to have animals.
You have to attend an orientation session for about an hour at the shelter.
For more information call Hilary Anne Hager 425-257-6011 or go to www.everettwa.org and click on animal services.
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