BENTON – If you haven’t stopped by the Marshall County Animal Shelter in a while, you might not recognize it. Workers pulled out the vinyl flooring in the lobby and cat room and replaced it with tile. They also replaced the cat cages, added an outdoor cat play area and an outdoor puppy play area, repainted, and added a safety fence behind the building where dogs can be temporarily corralled in the event of a fire.
The shelter has 24 dog kennels and 18 cat cages, though cat adoptions are desperately needed, as the shelter is over capacity. Autumn Hollis, director of the shelter, and Kip Hutchison, assistant director, said they currently have about 40 kittens, not including the several adult cats available for adoption.
In June, the shelter took in 102 animals and euthanized 27 of those, a 26.5 percent euthanasia rate. Hutchison said the euthanasia rate in non-summer months is quite a bit lower than in summer. She estimated that about 70 percent of the animals euthanized in June were sick kittens.
The shelter is technically considered “no-kill” according to national standards (less than 20 percent of animals brought to the shelter annually are euthanized), but Hutchison prefers the term “low-kill” because it more accurately reflects the reality of the shelter’s situation to the public.
She said that, in general, only sick or aggressive animals have to be euthanized, but with so many cats, she fears overcrowding may soon change that. “We are at that point with kittens right now,” Hutchison said. The shelter is also near capacity on dogs, and Hollis and Hutchison are bracing for what they call “puppy season,” in which the puppy population increases, any day now.
Interested in adopting a pet? Cats and kittens have an adoption fee of $15, which includes all age-appropriate vaccinations (except rabies), flee and tick preventative, and heartworm preventative. Cat and kitten adoption fees do not include microchipping. Dogs and puppies have an adoption fee of $25, which includes all age-appropriate vaccinations (except rabies), flee and tick preventative, heartworm preventative, and microchipping. All adoptions require the pet owner to sign a contract obligating them to have the pet spayed or neutered, if the animal isn’t already.
The shelter’s next event is Bark in the Park at Mike Miller Park in Draffenville from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 8 during Marshall County Family Week. A local veterinarian will be on site to give vaccinations and preform microchipping. Workers will also host a pet costume contest and offer a silent auction and food. On Sept. 12 at Miller Park, the shelter will host an adoption drive in which all pet adoption fees will be waived. Spay/neuter contracts will still apply.
