The Animal Rescue League of Berks County is requesting the help of the community in dealing with the critical capacity of cats and kittens at the shelter.
As of Tuesday morning, the ARL had 175 cats/kittens at the shelter and 229 in foster care. In addition to these cats, the organization has a waitlist of cats to come into the shelter going back to March of this year.
“We are at critical capacity at the moment, which has been an increasing concern after the pandemic,” said José Joel Delgado-Rivera, ARL’s Chief Communications Officer. “Having a full shelter is dangerous for the animals since they are at a higher risk of contracting diseases, having their behavior decline, and their immune system compromised. This situation also limits our capacity to take in animals needing emergency care.”
The community is encouraged to help by adopting, fostering, volunteering, transfer to other rescues and donating.
Adopting: The ARL has 182 cats and kittens available for adoption. Adopting a cat/kitten will give a second chance to a pet while opening much-needed space for other animals to come in. The ARL will host a Pay-What-You-Can adoption weekend from Friday, November 17, through Sunday, November 19. All cats and kittens will be available to adopt. All adopters must go through the ARL’s regular procedures to adopt, including completing an adoption profile and speaking with an adoption counselor to ensure that the pet they select is a good match for their home, family, and lifestyle.
Fostering: Taking pets into family care for a limited time will allow pets to experience a loving home while waiting for a new family. The ARL provides all the resources needed to care for the pets during the foster period. Interested people can reach out to foster@berksarl.org to sign in.
Volunteering: Cleaning volunteers can help keep the cages free of diseases while helping ARL animal care staff focus on preparing enrichment activities and medical care for the animals. Reach out to volunteer@berksarl.org to sign in.
Transfer to other rescues: Other rescues with space and willing to take fully vetted animals can reach out to pawsitivep@berksarl.org to arrange a transfer. All the animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. Transfers are free of charge.
Donating: By donating linen, toys, food, cat litter, or money, people can help the pets get the resources and care they need at the shelter. Items donations can be dropped out at the shelter, and cash donations can be sent through www.berksarl.org/berksdonates/
