This is the time of year the Humane Society of the Palouse sees a lot of kittens.
hayden crosby | rawr
“We have two litters of bottle babies right now and a pregnant momma,” Don Nickles from the humane society said.
The number of cats the humane society takes in is a somewhat flexible number because it’s easier to alter a cage to fit two cats than it would be for two dogs.
“This time of year our numbers will jump because we get litters of kittens,” Trina Pickett from the HSOP said. “We’ll have one week where we get a dozen cats in and one week where we only get one.”
Pickett said the most cats the HSOP has ever had one time was more than 120 felines.
“That’s really overpopulated for us,” she said. “We usually try to stay under about 80.”
Nickles said the cats move out of the shelter much faster than dogs because most people can only have cats where they live.
It’s harder for people to get dogs from the humane society because of age, breed and behavior, he said.
“People tend to turn in the unruly dogs with no manners,” he said.
In the HSOP there are roughly 12 cages in the front room that hold cats of all different shapes, sizes and temperaments. In the back, where employees are, even more cats reside. Then there are two rooms completely dedicated to cats. The two rooms are connected by a large, outdoor kitty porch. And of course there are the kitties who are lucky enough to roam freely around the shelter.
“Cats that roam have been here long enough to make their own rules,” Pickett said. “Cats usually win around here.”
Nickles said if he had to pick a favorite, his would be a long-haired orange tabby with a sweet personality named Tig. Nickles said he likes Tig because he reminds him of a cat he has at home.
Pickett’s favorite cat, if she had to choose, is Suzie, a long-haired black cat who sat in the front in her own large cage. When the HSOP found Suzie, she was skinny, losing hair and sick. She eventually was nursed back to health, but soon after became sick again. This was when Pickett decided to foster Suzie herself. She nursed Suzie back to health once again, and believe it or not, Suzie had became ill … again. This time with a serious eye infection. After fostering her for three months, Pickett was finally able to bring the somewhat blind but healthy Suzie back to the shelter.
“We kind of have a history,” Pickett said.
Molly Spencer can be reached [email protected]