It almost seems inevitable. And it happens every year. Just as the temperature starts to drop, an influx of stray animals is experienced in and around town. Many of these animals are looking to face their first winter alone, inevitably filled with brutally cold nights that will put their lives at risk.
I grew up with pets, and I most certainly deem myself a cat person. We’ve even recently acquired a new kitten for our family that has managed to claim her rightful place in our home (usually in the warmth of my closet and or office chair).
I’ve also been known to allow stray, freezing cats into my truck, and into my home, despite my husband’s scowls when I do so.
Cat or dog, the number of strays that seem to get a little more desperate around this time of year is heartbreaking. I’m not sure if I’m just more aware this year, or if it’s because our local animal shelter has been put out of a home due to the facility’s building flooding this summer, but it seems like there is a constant flow of animal photos being posted on social media lately.
There are cats that appear to have no homes, although they are clearly friendly and have been in contact with humans, and dogs that have somehow managed to get aware from their owners, if they do in fact have owners.
Thankfully, this is one area where social media excels. Many people have been reunited with their pets through these posts, even after days of searching and hope being nearly lost.
Last week, the Journal office became a temporary home for a cat that was wondering around town. The cat was super friendly, and clearly had enough human contact in its life to purr when it was being pet, and casually rub itself against your legs as you walked by. It also knew that once it got cold outside, that it did not want to leave the warmth of a building, and a regular supply of food.
But, without a fully operational animal shelter in town, this cat had nowhere else to go. After a few days of having its picture shared on social media, no one had come to claim the animal. And by the middle of the week, I noticed another cat, likely of similar age, being posted by a friend, who was also attempting to find that cat’s rightful home.
I’m not even sure how many times our family adopted stray animals while I was growing up. Some of these animals became some of our most loved pets. It baffles me that people can simply dump an animal, or a litter of animals, and let them fend for themselves.
The need for a temporary location for the St. Paul Animal Shelter is so clear. Although there are many good samaritans out there wanting to help these animals, the benefit that an animal shelter offers a community can’t be ignored.
It’s time the community, and its municipal governments, step up to make a real attempt at getting this worthwhile cause back up and running, and into a new permanent home, sooner rather than later.
