LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETY BEING OVERRUN WITH ANIMALS

Kittens meow helplessly and the roar of barking dogs thunders through the kennel at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri whenever visitors enter the room.

The sounds are intense because there are more animals at the kennel than usual. About 2,100 animals have been taken in at the shelter since June, which equals about 500 a month. The normal range is about 375 animals per month.

"The numbers have gone through the roof," said Brian Yarbrough, community relations director for the shelter. "There's no rhyme or reason."

Other than an unusually large number of pet births, there is no explanation for the increase in animals, said Jhan White, shelter administrator.

"Maybe there weren't enough natural population-control agents so that more of them lived," she said of the animals.

Summer is usually the busiest time for the Humane Society but things generally slow down in the fall, White said. "It's so hectic that we can't keep up."

There were 80 animals housed at the shelter Wednesday. Usually, volunteers take in 12 animals each day, which includes any collected by the animal-control officers at the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Before the shelter opened at 11 a.m. Tuesday, at least 27 animals had been dropped off. By the end of the day, there were a total of 42 new animals at the kennel, Yarbrough said.

The animal shelter is open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekdays, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturdays, and from 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

The Humane Society serves the Southeast Missouri region primarily from Sikeston to Farmington. "We won't refuse any animal," Yarbrough said. "We have too many big hearts."

But those big hearts can mean cramped space at the shelter. Since they don't refuse any animals, the Humane Society is running out of food and pet supplies.

Ron Clark heard that the shelter was low on food, so he brought in a 20-pound bag of dog food Wednesday afternoon.

Under normal conditions, additional donations aren't needed. But with more pets entering the shelter, food supplies have increased. Kitten and puppy foods, cat litter and newspapers used to line cages are needed.

The Humane Society hopes to raise funds for the shelter's needs during its Paw Crawl Saturday.

The second annual fund-raising walk begins at 9:15 a.m. at the Capaha Park Lagoon.

AT A GLANCE

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri has received more animals than normal since June.

Animals received: 2,831

Animals adopted: 531

Animals returned to owners: 177

The animal shelter needs

-- Cat litter

-- Kitten food

-- Puppy food

-- Newspapers

To donate items, contact the shelter at 2536 Boutin Drive, 334-5837.