Summer arrival of dozens of cats at Juneau Animal Rescue prompts call for adoptors and sterilizing pets
- Mark Sabbatini
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Shelter gets large number of arrivals occasionally, often when animals aren’t spayed or neutered, director says
Juneau Animal Rescue is again having a summer crisis of catpacity (their word), with the sudden arrival of about 40 cats taking place as shelter officials look for people to adopt the felines already there who are ready for new owners.
The arrival of a large number of cats during summer in particular occurs from time to time, according to Rick Driscoll, executive director of the shelter. He said last summer more than 60 cats came from one address and in this instance at least 37 are in the process of being brought to JAR from one home.
"Sometimes, like in this particular situation, they called us because they didn't know what else to do," he said in an interview Monday at the shelter.
That means a priority for the shelter is making space for the incoming cats by finding people to adopt existing felines, Driscoll said. Even if the arriving cats appear to be in good health — and are old enough to be separated from their mothers — there is a process all of the animals have to go through.
"It does take a lot of planning," he said. "We've got to get our clinic veterinary staff on board. Our (animal control) staff have to go get the animals. The clinic needs to start treating them — flead, vaccinating and then our kennel staff have to provide the care."
Driscoll, in a separate email, noted specific details about where the cats come from are not shared publicly because "we want to be non-judgmental about how people find themselves in these situations."
"Most of the time, and as in this case, the cats come from homes where they aren't spayed or neutered, and the situation quickly grows from just having a few cats to having 20 or 30 in a year or two," he wrote. "People can get overwhelmed and often don't know what to do or how to ask for help."
JAR’s cat capacity is about 40 and the shelter was already at that limit, said Andy Nelson, the facility’s deputy director. Staff have been posting social media notices since late last week about the arrival of the new cats, but Nelson said while there has been a steady flow of people visiting the shelter there hasn’t been a rush of them signing up to adopt yet.
The current shelter is 40 years old and, according to JAR’s website, the "animal shelter is facing age related structural and internal system issues, and, most importantly, it does not meet national standards for the humane, safe, and nurturing housing of animals."
JAR officials have been trying for years to obtain funds for a new and larger facility, but Driscoll said that is still essentially in the design stage and the opening of a new site is still at least a few years away.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
