Record-breaking adoption numbers ease humane society overcrowding

The Thunder Bay and District Humane Society completed a record-breaking 38 cat adoptions this past week, after issuing a plea to the community to help its overcrowded shelter.

It also found about five foster placements for pets and adopted out three dogs, said executive director Melanie Blanchette.

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That's the same number of adoptions the society typically completes over several months, she added.

"We were just overwhelmed at the support from the community," she said. "Thunder Bay is a very generous community. ... it just goes to show in a situation like this just how much people love and support the Humane Society and the animals we care for."

The society announced it was in a state of crisis earlier this month after investigators with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found more than 70 cats in poor health in two investigations on Thunder Bay's north side.

The humane society slashed its cat adoption rates from $150 to $50 from July 4-11 to help make space in its facility.

The reduced revenues from the lower adoption fees will hurt the society's bottom line, Blanchette said, adding it costs up to $300 or $400 to vaccinate, deworm, micro-chip, and spay or neuter each cat that enters the facility.

Those losses are offset, however, by large donations of money and supplies that also came in last week, she added.

"Our entire supply area was just one giant pile of donations that came in over the period of that week," she said.

The shelter is still at high capacity, and the new arrivals can't be adopted out until the investigations that brought them to the shelter are complete, but Blanchette said there are still many cats in the general population available.