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AMES, Iowa – June 1st marks the first day of adopt-a-cat month.

While spring is always a crucial time for animal shelters to help kittens find their forever homes, for the Ames Animal Shelter, this June is even more crucial after multiple large hoarding cases late last year.

The shelter received 58 cats and kittens that came from those hoarding cases. While most of those cats have been adopted out, the shelter is still overloaded. To put things in perspective, Animal Control supervisor Ron Edwards says the shelter began the year with about 95 cats – it’s built to house only 28.

Currently, there are 40 cats available for adoption. Edwards says it’s still cramping space and stretching staff thin.

More adopted cats mean fewer families looking for one, which makes it challenging to find homes for new cats coming in unrelated to the hoarding cases.

“That really just set us off for starting 2023 in a bad spot in a very small facility. So, we’re trying to struggle to keep up, trying to get some cats adopted so we can make room for the new ones coming in,” said Edwards.

If you’re interested in adopting, all cats will have their vaccines up to date and come microchipped. Adoption costs $25 for adult cats over six months and $100 for kittens.

If you’re interested in adoption, check out the shelter’s website.