KELLOGG – A sudden influx of felines in need have the Silver Valley Cat Wranglers scrambling for resources, human or otherwise.  

According to Wrangler President Rene Gilbert, in July, an eviction from an apartment in Kellogg resulted in the group taking control of 15 of the 22 cats that had been previously living there.  

Gilbert explained that of the 22, two kittens had died, one had escaped, and the other handful had been taken in by someone else, leaving these 15 to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, they had been made aware of the situation previously, nut were bound by law to wait until the legal eviction before they could go in.  

“We knew in June, but we couldn’t do anything,” Gilbert said. “Our hands were tied. We can’t just go into someone’s house or onto their property and take their cats.”  

All 15 have been spayed or neutered, and roughly half of them have been fully checked over by a veterinarian.  

Meanwhile, she explained that other situations in the Silver Valley pushed that number toward 30 cats or kittens that require the group’s attention, almost 30% of the total amount of animals they worked with last year.  

“We’re drowning in cats, and drowning in bills,” Gilbert said.  

The group annually fundraises enough to allow them to operate for most of the year, but the sudden amount of cats has overwhelmed their budget and their volunteers. 

Gilbert said the group is scrambling to place these cats, either in foster care or permanent homes, while also trying to make sure all of them receive the medical attention they need.  

“Our fundraising has always been successful, but when you suddenly have this many cats you just can’t keep up,” Wrangler Juli Zook said.  

“We just don’t have the resources to attack these issues,” Gilbert followed with.  

Along with spreading the message to get your pets fixed, Gilbert and Zook are asking for anyone in the community who can help in any capacity, fostering adopting, or donating, to reach out to them.  

For more information, you can contact the Silver Valley Cat Wranglers at (208) 446-7131, Juli Zook at (208) 659-1764, or Rene Gilbert (208) 512-2173.