“PERFECT STORM” CREATES FOSTERING CRISIS AT CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY

34 cats saved in hotel room, cruelty investigations and kitten season combine to overwhelm shelter.

Charleston Animal Society is making an urgent plea for foster families to help with an overwhelming number of animals flooding its shelter system. “We have had a perfect storm of circumstances hit us all at once,” said Charleston Animal Society Vice President of Operations and Strategy Aldwin Roman, CAWA. “We are currently working through a case where 34 cats were found in one hotel room, two potential cruelty cases, a dog transport and an influx of neonate kittens.”

On June 2, almost three dozen cats from a single case were brought in, along with 28 kittens found outdoors, for a total of 62 animals arriving at the shelter in one day.

FAMILY OVERWHELMED WITH TOO MANY CATS

34 cats were all living in a North Charleston hotel room and were surrendered to the shelter by their family. “These cats were very well cared for, and this family did the right thing by asking for help.” Roman said. “They were heartbroken and this was the latest in a string of setbacks the family has faced due to COVID-19. They’ve lost jobs, their home and now their pets.” After receiving necessary medical care, three of the cats will be allowed to remain with the family.

KITTEN SEASON

This Spring, Charleston Animal Society has been flooded with more than 370 kittens. “Our foster family network is a key resource that allows our lifesaving work to continue outside the walls of the shelter,” said Charleston Animal Society Foster Coordinator Jodi Osborne. “Right now, we have 28 kittens that need foster families immediately and more are coming in every hour.” People who find kittens outdoors are urged to leave them with their mothers, for their best chance at survival. There are also 10 dogs in need of foster homes through the end of June.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

To become a foster family, go to CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/Foster and fill out the online form. Foster families are provided everything they need to care for animals, including food, kennels and medical checkups. If you can’t foster,  please consider a donation to help provide medical care for these animals through Toby’s Fund, Charleston Animal Society’s Medical Fund, at CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/Foster-Crisis. The average lifesaving cost for care of an animal at Charleston Animal Society is $375.00.

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