Hillsborough County’s Pet Resource Center is overflowing with cats as the shelter grapples with record numbers of felines coming in each day, particularly kittens.
The shelter’s population sat at 390 cats at the end of last week, or 696 percent of the stated capacity of 56. The shelter is working with pet rescue groups and foster parents to help house the overflow but desperately needs residents to come to the Pet Resource Center, located at 440 N. Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa, and adopt any of the dozens of cats and kittens there.
The Pet Resource Center is Hillsborough’s only open admissions shelter, meaning it takes in cats and dogs regardless of age, breed or size. The open admissions policy means the shelter is often over capacity on dogs and cats, but the shelter is seeing record high numbers this month.
By adopting, residents can make an immediate impact and help create space for the many pets that are still arriving. Cats and kittens of all ages, personalities and energy levels can be found at PRC, and adopting not only gives a deserving pet a second chance but also helps the shelter continue caring for vulnerable pets in need.
Residents not ready to make the commitment to adopt can be of great help by fostering pets. Kitten season is almost year-round in Florida, and foster parents are always needed to take care of young kittens, some of whom might need regular bottle-feeding. For more information on the foster program, visit https://hcfl.gov/foster or email fosterpets@hcfl.gov.
Shelter officials say one of biggest factors in the number of cats and kittens is the practice of ‘kitnapping,’ or bringing kittens to the shelters that should be left with their mothers. Those who find kittens are encouraged to participate in PRC’s Wait Until 8 program, which encourages residents to keep found kittens until they are 8 weeks old and able to be brought back to the shelter for adoption.
The Pet Resource Center is open for adoptions from Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with the exception of Friday and Saturday, July 3-4 (and other major holidays). Residents can view the hundreds of adoptable pets online at https://hcfl.gov/adopt, including medical and behavioral records.
Follow PRC on Facebook and Instagram @PRCPets for weekly featured pets and other PRC news.