Sometimes, having a big heart and wanting to help animals can be overwhelming. Taking in stray and homeless cats or dogs can snowball into having more than one can handle. We recently helped with a situation in our area that was a heartbreaking example of this.

There are so many homeless and unwanted cats. While we and other organizations do our best to make a difference for cats living on the street, it is an endless cycle. Hunger, danger, weather, and litter after litter of kittens make it especially sad and seemingly hopeless.

One family in our area tried to help. They took in several cats, which soon became many more cats when two females gave birth to litters of kittens. They tried to care for the cats and keep them fed and healthy, but it became too much. They couldn’t keep up with the needs of these cats, and soon their living space was chaos. It is not easy to admit help is needed and reach out, but ultimately, they asked us if we could help.

Our team stepped up, showed up, and caught the cats. Tara, our shelter manager, and Tabby, our clinic manager, spent many hours finding and assessing cats in the home. This meant several visits and some tireless hunting for cats and kittens under furniture, behind appliances, and in closets. In the end, several needed to be trapped. The family had limited time to vacate the home, so we had to work quickly.

We brought them back to Second Chance, bathed them, checked them for injuries or diseases, and started them on high-quality food. In a few short days, we already see a difference.

While the cats were initially frightened and stressed out, they are calming down, and settling in, and will be offered for adoption in the coming weeks.

This type of situation is not uncommon. Kind people want to help homeless pets. Sometimes they quickly reach their capacity- either because of economic realities, limits on their space, or the situation becoming too stressful.

At Second Chance, we do all we can to step in when asked. We also have programs like our Pet Pantry to help with food and supplies for those who are struggling. We work to spay and neuter pets and community cats by offering vet vouchers and by conducting periodic low-cost spay/neuter clinics. Our low-cost vaccine clinics are another way we help pet families who may struggle to afford shots for their dogs and cats.

 

Nimbus is a beautiful, medium-haired, 4-year-old cat who would love to find a home soon. She weighs 8 pounds, is not a huge fan of other cats, and loves attention. Adoption Hours are 11:00 am to 5:30 pm Wednesday to Sunday.

For thirty years, the Animal Resource Center and Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have served Ouray, San Miguel, and Montrose Counties. Our adoption hours are from Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can view our shelter pets and services online