Hundreds of Cats Need Homes From Baton Rouge Animal Shelter

We've been hearing a lot lately about a situation that makes animal lovers cringe. It's called "pandemic pets", and it's when animal shelters are overrun with pets that were adopted during the coronavirus pandemic, and then given back to shelters now that the lockdowns and quarantines are coming to an end. It's a horrible state of affairs, and we are kind of puzzled as to why people think this is an appropriate way to deal with animals that helped them deal with the last year of our world being turned upside down.

And in Baton Rouge, the situation has gotten pretty drastic. Animal shelters in the Capital City have been completely overwhelmed with cats, and they are asking for the public's help. According to Executive Director Jillian Sergio of the Companion Animal Alliance, over 725 pets have been taken into shelters since May 1, and about 500 of those are cats. She tells WBRZ "A lot of them are too young to stay at the shelter because they need 24/7 care. We are running into a situation where we don't have enough foster homes to send these animals into. If we can't find foster care or rescue for them, unfortunately, we have to make some hard decisions."

Part of the reason given for the uptick in drop-offs could be that it's breeding season for cats, but this year the numbers are way higher. If you would like to foster a cat, or even adopt one, CAA has lots of information on how to get you started. You can also read more about the shelter from WBRZ.