Eastern Townships shelter filled to capacity with unwanted cats and kittens

The Eastern Townships SPA is no longer accepting any more cats and kittens as their shelters have run out of room with an overflow of abandoned animals.

The animal protection agency said that more than 220 felines are currently being housed in its local branches in the region and that about 50 per cent are kittens.

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While most animal welfare organizations tend to see a jump in abandoned pets during the summer moving season in Quebec, a spokesperson said the overflow has been an ongoing problem.

"It's our mission not toeuthanizeany cat or kitten who is in good health," said GeneviveCloutier. "What we do iswe work with what we have."

As of January, it's become mandatory for all pet owners in Sherbrooke to get their cats sterilized, but the Eastern Townships SPAsaidthey haven't seen a decrease in the amount of animals showing up at their doors.

"We've done lots of awareness campaigns on the issuebut people are still not getting their cats fixed," said Cloutier.

In order to accommodate the overflow of abandoned pets, the organization has been adding cages to house cats, but it isn't enough.

It plans to launch another sterilization campaign soon toinform citizens of their responsibility to get cats fixed, a procedure that can cost upwards of $100.