05/31/2026
This was a difficult week at Saint Frances Animal Center.
Despite a generous adoption sponsorship from an anonymous donor, we once again ended the week with more animals in our care than we started with. One bright spot was that cat intake slowed somewhat. During our busiest seasons, we limit cat intake to those who are sick, injured, orphaned, or otherwise unable to survive on their own.
The numbers tell part of the story: we took in five cats this week, but we lost four.
Two kittens succumbed to panleukopenia after a hard-fought battle by our staff. Another arrived severely injured and ill, and despite our best efforts, could not be saved. The fourth was an injured community cat who was also exhibiting out of character behavior and had bitten his caretaker. Due to his suffering and concerns about rabies exposure, he was humanely euthanized at the request of state authorities so testing could be performed.
These are the weeks that weigh heaviest on our team. Every person here comes to work with the goal of saving lives, and losing animals despite doing everything possible is heartbreaking. Our cat “save rate” this week was just 20%, a number that makes us incredibly sad. But statistics don’t tell the full story. They don’t show the care provided, the sleepless nights, the difficult decisions, or the people who refused to give up on these animals.
We remain committed to transparency because our community deserves to understand both our successes and our struggles. The reality is that many animals arrive at our doors already facing overwhelming odds. We can’t save every life, but we can ensure every animal receives compassion, care, and dignity. Part of the story behind these numbers is also one of a dedicated team that continues to show up, even on the hardest days. Our staff and volunteers pour their hearts into this work, celebrating every victory and carrying every loss with them. Despite the heartbreak, the challenges, and the criticism that sometimes comes with this profession, they return each day ready to fight for the next animal who needs them.
If you want to help change these numbers, please be a part of the solution: spay and neuter your pets, keep vaccinations current, microchip and tag your animals, adopt, foster, volunteer, share our posts, and donate if you’re able.
The work is hard, but we keep showing up because every animal deserves a chance – and together, we can give them one.
*Please note - You can follow this link to the full statistics: https://www.sfanimals.org/about-us/report-card/
