MILLVILLE, Pa. — The cat unit at the Animal Resource Center near Millville typically houses about 50 cats comfortably. But after nearly 60 cats were rescued from a hoarding situation in Snyder County last week, shelter workers had to get creative to make it work.
"So to take on our shelter limit plus some is overwhelming," said Kate Magni, Animal Resource Center Cat Coordinator. "We're so happy and thankful that we have so many volunteers who have come on their days off and staff members who have come on their days off to help clean and care for these animals," she said.
All 58 of the cats rescued over the last week are either at the shelter in Columbia County or being fostered by ARC volunteers and employees. But now the shelter is in desperate need of some items.
"So the biggest needs we have right now are cleaning supplies. Simple Green, Odoban, Chlorox, or anything that is safe for animals or can be used for specific sanitizing like bleach. Paper towels, 13-gallon trash bags, and used towels because we are cleaning out their crates twice a day and trying to keep things clean," Magni explained.
Every cat has been bathed, treated for fleas, de-wormed, and scanned for chips. They will not be ready to be adopted for quite some time, but rescue workers at ARC say one of the best ways to help is by donating those supplies or, of course, money. The cats are comfortable for now, eating, drinking water, sleeping, and cuddling with each other.
"I really think for them, this is a healing time. They get to stretch out, which is something I don't think they've had the opportunity to do. They have access to food and water, so they're not frantic about it. They're comfortable; they're clean, maybe for the first time in a long time. They don't have feces and urine caked in their hands or in their paws. They don't have flees. They're not healthy, but they're a lot better than they were two days ago or four days ago," Magni said.
Donations of these items can be dropped off at ARC's yard sale location at 2877 Skatetown Rd in Bloomsburg Thursday through Sunday 10 am - 4 pm, at the shelter on Hogs Back Road near Millville, or purchased from ARC's Amazon Wishlist, and sent directly to ARC.
To contact ARC by phone, call 570-784-3669 ext. 2 for cats. Rescue workers say email is better: Mary@nokillarc.org. More information on the shelter can also be found here.