08/31/2026
A Difficult Update From Paws & Whiskers 😥
We know there are people in our community desperately trying to find help for cats and kittens. We know how frustrating and heartbreaking it can be to hear that shelters are full when you are trying to do the right thing for an animal.
We wish we could say yes every single time, sadly we can’t, that’s not reality.
Saying “we are full” truly means there is physically nowhere left to safely put another cat.
Since May, we have been operating at or near maximum capacity almost continuously. Our intake cages have remained consistently full. As soon as one becomes available, there is already a scheduled surrender waiting to fill that space.
Then, very early Saturday morning, **12 cats and kittens of various ages and sizes were left outside our shelter, all crammed into a single carrier, no food, no water, waiting for hours piled on top of each other.. just waiting to be found.
Among them were two nursing mothers one with a skin infection. Eight suffering from upper respiratory infections. Two with severe eye infections, and one who had to be rushed for emergency veterinary treatment and will require surgery to remove an eye.
These 12 cats “the dozen” didn't arrive because we suddenly had 12 spaces available….**We had none.**
Our staff had to immediately rearrange our intake and medical areas, moving cats and placing two, three and even four together in spaces intended for fewer cats just to find somewhere safe for everyone. That is what overcrowding looks like.
It isn't fair to the cats already here or these ones who were left abandoned.
Right now, more than half of the cats in our intake area are medical cases. They must remain there while receiving treatment until they are healthy enough to move forward toward adoption. Others are awaiting their spay or neuter surgeries.
This is the part of sheltering that most people never see.
A “full shelter” isn't simply a number. It means every appropriate enclosure is occupied. It means medications, treatments, cleaning, feeding, surgeries and monitoring for dozens upon dozens upon dozens of individual cats. It means protecting healthy cats from contagious illnesses. It means making sure overcrowding doesn't compromise the welfare of the cats already depending on us.
**Because of our current circumstances, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to completely close our intake/surrender department to both owned and stray cats until further notice.**
We don't make this decision lightly.
Remaining a no-kill shelter means we must have the appropriate space, staffing and resources to safely and humanely care for every cat we accept. Continuing to take cats when there is nowhere appropriate to house them would not be responsible sheltering.
This is also one of the many reasons we are working so incredibly hard to complete our new future building. **Space means opportunity.** More appropriate housing. Better separation of medical cases. And, ultimately, the ability to help more cats who need us.
The photos we're sharing are just a few of the cats currently occupying our intake and medical areas. We want our community to see what “full” actually looks like behind the scenes, and this is just a glimpse.
❗️ **Please, please understand: dumping animals is NOT the answer even when they are left at an animal shelter.**
❗️Leaving cats outside does not create space inside.
It forces an unplanned intake into an already full facility and can lead to overcrowding, increased stress, the spread of illness, depletion of medical and financial resources, and ultimately the temporary closure of intake meaning fewer cats throughout the community can receive help, even the ones who went through the process and did everything right to obtain an intake appointment (which we had to cancel).
We understand that people can feel desperate. We understand that finding placement can be incredibly difficult when shelters everywhere are struggling with capacity.
But abandoning animals outside a closed or full shelter puts those animals at risk and places every animal already inside at risk as well.
We want to help. We want to save them. That is why we're here.
But to continue being here for cats tomorrow, next week and for years to come, we have to protect our ability to properly care for the cats already entrusted to us today.
To everyone who adopts, fosters, donates, shares our posts, supports our new future (larger) shelter, and continues standing behind our staff and these cats … thank you!! 💚🐾
We cannot do this without you.
If you would like to donate to help with “The dozen” please visit our website Pawsandwhiskers.org/donate
You can also help via Venmo and PayPal: Donate2paws
(If using Venmo please make sure it is our account which is always found under “Charities” and never a “person” account. The scam account is still visible but can’t receive or make transactions).
Every donation large or small truly matters!
We also have an Amazon Wishlist:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/164AR3PING5CX?ref_=wl_share%20(https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/164AR3PING5CX?ref_=wl_share)
*none of the cats and kittens posted in the photos are available for adoption, they are all still either under quarantine, receiving medical treatment or awaiting surgery.
