OVERFLOW OF PLETS AT LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER; HUMANE SOCIETY GETTING MORE THAN 400 PETS MONTHLY

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri urges anyone looking for a pet to stop by its facility on Route W near the Cape La Croix Nursing Home.

"We are getting more than 400 animals a month into the center," said Nancy Richards, director of the Humane Society. "We're forced to euthanize about 410 animals every month."

Typically, about 20 percent of the animals that go to the facility are adopted. The rest are destroyed.

With the onset of spring, people are bringing large litters of kittens and puppies to the center.

"We'll come to work in the morning and find 20 to 25 animals in the overnight drop-off area," Richards said. "That's why it's so important that people neuter their pets, so we can control the pet population."

Richards said that the newspaper advertisements for free kittens and puppies aggravate Humane Society workers.

"The people who give away pets don't know what kind of home that animal is going in to," Richards said. "We make sure that all animals that are adopted here go to good homes and are neutered."

To adopt a pet, a person must fill out a brief application dealing with choice of pet, lifestyle and past pet history.

The Humane Society charges $30 to adopt a cat or kitten and $40 to adopt a dog or puppy. After the animal is spayed or neutered, the Humane Society refunds $20 to the adopting parent.

The Humane Society also has a "wish list" for people looking for a specific breed, color or type of animal.

"Sometimes people come in and can't find exactly what they are looking for," Richards said. "So we will write down what they want, and if an animal fitting that description comes in we will give them a call."

Richards said that about 20 percent of the animals brought into the Humane Society every year are purebreds.

"With the purebreds, we take them to the vets ourselves and let the new owners pick them up after they have been neutered," Richards said. "That prevents the urge for people to want to breed the cat."

The Humane Society is supported solely on private donations. Any monetary or food donations can be dropped by the facility or mailed to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, Route W, Cape Girardeau, 63701.