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Article Archive > Recession takes toll on animal shelters Recession takes toll on animal shelters If there can be a place where hope and despair intersect, it might well be an animal shelter. At the shelter of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Eatontown, both emotions are on display as workers try to care for an overflow of animals, a situation that seems to worsen each week. Cats have become a glut on the market, it seems, with more than 300 currently in residence and more expected, said Ursula Goetz, the society's executive director. About 50 dogs, some birds, and the odd hamster or gerbil round out the present inventory, she added. Scientists debate whether animals think in the same sense that humans do. But they certainly know pain and loneliness. Whether they can feel despair is an open question, but if they did, it would be understandable, Goetz said. The SPCA does its best, but it's hamstrung by cramped facilities and an increasing demand for services, she said. Despite efforts at holiday decoration, the shelter has the air of a jail, with rows of cats and dogs looking out from their barred residences. But unlike prisoners, workers noted, the only "crime" these animals have committed is to be either unwanted or abused. The overflow of cats is immediately evidenced by cages that spill out into the lobby of the building. All stripe of cats and kittens, from tabbies to marmalade toms, are present. Twenty-five were recently removed from a Middletown home that was going into foreclosure and the owner could no longer care for them, Goetz said. It was not so much a matter of abuse as a need to find them homes, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, the society's chief animal cruelty investigator. It's a problem that is being repeated across the country, according to the Humane Society of the United States. As people feel the economic pinch of a souring economy, many are unable to care for their pets, a society report said. Ocean County's animal facilities in Jackson and Stafford's Manahawkin section also have seen an increase in unwanted animals, said Jennifer Warwick, the assistant manager for the shelters. "We've had a lot of surrenders because times are tough," she said. "Many times, people just can't afford to keep their pets anymore. Some are moving. Some have had their homes foreclosed on. Others just can't afford to feed their pets." The shelters she oversees are government-run, so their financial situation is not as desperate as many that rely solely on donations, she said. They've also had a good success rate at finding homes for the pets that have been turned in, she said. Among the initiatives they have under way is a food pantry where pet owners who cannot afford to feed their animals can come for assistance, she said. "It's a serious situation," Warwick said. "It's been increasing in the past few weeks. Fortunately, we've also gotten food donations from the public and that helps." Shore Animal Volunteer Enterprise, a nonprofit volunteer group that assists the Toms River Animal Facility by fostering and adopting out animals, said last month it was overwhelmed with cats and, without help, did not know if it would make it to the end of the year. In Monmouth County, some ask the SPCA to take their pets, Goetz said. Those animals may be the lucky ones, she added. "Many times people just abandon them," she said. "Cats get turned out to fend for themselves, and dogs are just set loose." Many of the dogs at the shelter are listed as strays; one, a German shepherd, is recovering from surgery. The dog was found on the street, wandering. "No one ever came looking," Goetz said. The SPCA is feeling its own financial pinch, Goetz said. It costs $1.5 million a year to run the animal shelter, and it's all funded by private donations. Right now, the SPCA has had to limit the cats it can take in because of the present overflow, she said. Goetz refuses to euthanize them. "You look at these beautiful cats. They come forward; they're friendly. How can you take their lives? We try to hold them until we can find them homes." Goetz is hoping for a kind of Christmas miracle. "I'd just love to see people give loving homes to these animals," she said. "These animals are certainly deserving. They give us so much love." The Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals welcomes anyone willing to sponsor a pet or who can donate to the society. Donations can be mailed to the MSPCA, P.O. Box 93, Eatontown, NJ 07724 or by going to the society's Web site, www.monmouth-countyspca.org.
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