Windsor

More than 60 felines to be moved out of Windsor after Humane Society reaches peak capacity

The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society is at peak capacity for cats and kittens, with more than 500 felines currently in the shelter’s care. Part of the solution is transferring cats and kittens to shelters in other communities that have space available for them.

Local shelter says there are more than 500 felines in their care

Cats sleeping
Two furry friends from the Windsor-Essex Humane Society take a Friday afternoon nap. More than 60 felines will be transported to the Ottawa Humane Society and Pickering Animal Services early Saturday. (Sanjay Maru/CBC)

The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society has reached peak capacity of cats and kittens, with more than 500 felines currently in their care.

In response, the local shelter is teaming up with three other humane societies to transport 62 cats and kittens to a new home.

The Lincoln County Humane Society has provided a transport vehicle which will transfer the felines from Windsor to the Ottawa Humane Society and Pickering Animal Services.

This specially-equipped transport vehicle has 40 kennels inside and will transport 62 cats and kittens from Windsor to Ottawa early Saturday. (Windsor-Essex County Humane Society)

"It will help us a lot to decrease the capacity and help to keep everyone here healthier," said Melanie Coulter, executive director of the Windsor-Essex Humane Society.

The cats will be leaving Windsor at 7 a.m. Saturday.

"We also want to see them get adopted more quickly," she said. "When there's communities that have space for them, they'll find homes more quickly. And it'll help give us space here. So it's win-win all around," Coulter said.

She added cats are less prone to illnesses when they have more space available to them in shelters.

The Windsor-Essex shelter is also reducing feline adoption fees to $99 until the end of August as a secondary measure of decreasing capacity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sanjay Maru is a reporter at CBC Windsor. Email him at [email protected].