The Williamson County Animal Center in Franklin has become overcrowded with kittens, and to promote adoption, shelter officials have waived kitten adoption fees.
Shelter Director Laura Chavarria said there would be no adoption fee for kittens until further notice. However, adoptions would still require an approved application and include vaccinations, spay or neuter (or $50 returnable deposit) and microchip.
According to officials, intake numbers skyrocketed in June, with 345 cats received at the shelter, an all-time high for a one-month period.
The previous high was 307 in June of 2016. Chavarria said the increase in strays and surrendered litters of kittens is putting pressure on the adoption areas.
“This is an urgent situation. Currently, all of our kitten adoption kennels are being used, with 75 kittens on site,” she states. “We also have 135 kittens being cared for in foster homes,” she added. “Those fosters will be returning to the shelter as soon as they are old enough.” Chavarria did not expect the influx of kittens to slow down for at least several months. “I believe we will take in about 300 each month through the end of summer.”
The annual seasonal influx of kittens could be relieved, says Chavarria, if more people had their cats spayed and neutered.
“We urge everyone to help control the cat population. One unspayed female, her mate and all of their offspring can result in over 2,000 births in four years, and two million in eight years,” she said. The shelter offers a low-cost feline spay/neuter program to county residents (call for details).
The Williamson County Animal Center is located at 106 Claude Yates Dr. in Franklin and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. (Closed July 4.)
The adoption fee for adult cats and dogs is $50; puppies are $85. Adoptable animals can be viewed at www. adoptwcac.org. For more information, call (615) 790-5590 or like Williamson County Animal Center on Facebook.
