Emergency sheltering by the numbers

PetSmart Charities Emergency Relief Waggin’ provided litter boxes and other supplies for the Florida cat rescue

When does 400 really equal 700? When you are rescuing animals from a hoarding a situation. UAN deployed volunteers to Gainesville, Florida, this week expecting to run a shelter for about 400 cats, but nearly 700 cats were removed from Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary in High Springs on June 7.

As usual, the UAN volunteers quickly adjusted to accommodate the unexpected charges, building more kennels and working double time to get the cats checked by vets and settled into their new quarters.

This kind of numbers game is common in hoarding and puppy mills seizures, when it is often hard for law enforcement officials to get an accurate animal count until they serve a warrant.

But while the volunteers will have to work a little harder to care for more animals, the good news is that 300 more animals will now have a second chance at a better life.