There are a lot of small mouths to feed at the Lakefield Animal Shelter these days.
“We have, I don’t know, I’m guessing, we might have 80 to 90 cats in the building,” said Mary Werner, a board member with the Lakefield Animal Welfare Society. “I haven’t counted them personally, but we’re full. The only safe place right now without a cat is the bathroom (laughs) and we might have them in there soon, too.”
But there’s not enough food to feed them all. So the shelter posted an urgent plea on its Facebook page, asking for donations. Food is coming in. But with a constant influx of animals, officials say it’s hard to keep up.
“The food goes very, very quickly, we still have a lot of kittens and we still have a lot of cats and kittens in foster homes that we need to supply food to,” Werner said.
The shelter is asking for canned food. It’s the preferred choice for kittens, Werner explained, which thrive on the soft food. Unfortunately, she said, they eat so much that most food is gone almost as soon as it comes through the door.
The influx of animals is a sign that kitten season, once associated with the spring, happens all year now, Werner said.
“There are still so many animals outside, and our phone rings all day long take more of them. We’re at capacity, but we’re working. We need to do adoptions and then we can bring more in.”
Donations can be dropped off at LAWS. The shelter says it will also accept cash that will be used to buy food. Those can be made in person or over the phone.
“From two cans to a case, whatever, we’re happy to get it, whatever you can give to us,” Werner said.