Animal shelters nearly empty as folks stuck at home seek pets as ‘quarantine buddies.’
The moment the Glenn family laid eyes on Oscar, they knew he was the cat they wanted to be quarantined with.
“Oscar is the sweetest cat,” said Sammy Glenn, 17. “He’s a big personality, he’s really great.”
So Oscar, a 5-year-old American Longhair who had been living in a Tacoma animal shelter, came home to Gig Harbor with the Glenns. And he wasn’t the only pet adopted that day.
Dogs and cats are flying out the doors of local animal shelters, as people shut in at home by the coronavirus seek the comfort and companionship of pets.
The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County is nearly out of cats, said Victoria Gingrey, the communications manager for the shelter.
At the beginning of March there were 197 cats or kittens in the Tacoma shelter, she said. By April 1, a week after the governor’s emergency “stay home, stay safe,” order, only one remained.
“To have only one remaining cat is incredible,” said Gingrey.
Many of the adopted pets, like Oscar, are ending up in Gig Harbor.
“Oscar is great for our family,” said Stephanie Glenn, a teacher of Japanese language who is now leading her Charles Wright Academy classes from home. “My husband, Dave, likes to wrestle with him. He is definitely a cat that loves to wrestle and play, but he is also super snuggly with the two girls.”
Gig Harbor resident Noah George brought home two new kittens, Marsh and Chucky, as quarantine buddies.
“I can’t imagine not having these cats, I would be losing my mind without them to calm me down,” he said.
Dennis Johnson, a Key Peninsula retiree, adopted a feral cat, a two-year-old he named Sketchy, from the Humane Society.
“Sketchy brought back a pep we didn’t have,” said Johnson. He and his wife, Michelle, also raise chickens and ducks, and Sketchy, whom he called an “outdoor cat,” helps keep the rodents down on their place near Vaughn.
Five at a time
The Humane Society shelter in Tacoma gave up 337 animals for adoption in March, 53 more than February.
So many are showing up at the shelter at 2608 Center St. that limits have been placed on admission.
“We are letting in approximately five people at a time,” Gingrey said. “The numbers of adoptions have been so great in March, and we are still seeing a good amount of traffic.”
Gingrey said the humane society is discouraging casual viewings of their animals, and asks that only people interested in adopting a pet visit the shelter.
“Some people have been at home with kids who are getting bored and they use the shelter as a field trip option, which in normal times would be completely fine, but we want to keep our staff and community safe,” Gingrey said.
Cats are more popular with adopters than dogs, Gingrey said, mainly because dogs are larger, harder to take care of and more expensive to feed. Still, the shelter adopted out 113 dogs and puppies in March, and at the beginning of April had only 11 dogs left.
The local Humane Society cares for about 10,000 animals yearly.
A run on dogs and cats
The experience in Pierce County is being mirrored across the country, according to The New York Times.
“A lot of people are facing prolonged periods of time at home and inside,” said Eileen Hanavan of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, according to The Times. “They want companionship and to not feel alone during this unsettling time, and it is benefiting our animals directly.”
Many shelters, like the nonprofit KC Pet Project in Kansas City, Mo., are letting people “foster” pets for four to six weeks, which some have likened to “dating” for pets. In a single week in March, the Kansas City shelter had 250 request to foster pets, Tori Fugate, a spokewoman, told The Times. A good week previously saw maybe 10 placed, she said.
When Animal Care Center of NYC put out a call for fostering, it had 200 slots to fill. It got 2,000 applicants.
There is little danger of contracting coronavirus from a pet, says the American Veterinary Medical Association. The virus is more readily transmitted via nonporous surfaces like metal or plastic, rather than porous ones like pet fur.
Pets settling in
In Gig Harbor, the newly adopted pets are settling into welcoming new homes.
Sammy Glenn, 17. the oldest daughter of the Glenn family, said Oscar brings a little more “charisma” into the household.
Daphne Glenn, 14, the younger daughter, called Oscar “super cute.”
“In the first few day he would hop right on my bed and fall asleep on my chest,” Daphne said.
The kittens Marsh and Chucky were introduced into Noah George’s household on St. Patrick’s Day. George said he is incredibly grateful to have two new quarantine buddies with him as he shelters in place.
“They are great,” George said. “They are like little typhoons, Tasmanian devils. They are in every delicate corner of the house, every three minutes.”
Hannah Lantz, 21, said she and her mother decided to get a cat “because of quarantine.”
“We decided that since we’re all home, it was a good time,” she said. She and her mother went to the Humane Society shelter and came back with Nala.
“Once meeting Nala, we instantly realized she was it,” she said. “We were like ‘This is our cat!’”
The Lantzes already have a dog and another cat. Nala is getting used to them.
“She is super sweet,” Lantz said. “She is one of the most playful cats we’ve ever had. She instantly liked the dog. The other cat and her took a while to get along, but now they can tolerate being in the same room together. It’s getting better!”
Gingrey of the Humane Society noted that the flow of animals out of shelters may soon reverse itself as the economic effects of the coronavirus shutdown begin to bite. Many people no longer working may chose to surrender pets they can no longer care for, she said, and that will make more available for adoption.
The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County has photos of adoptable dogs and cats, as well as ways to donate to their care, at http://www.thehumanesociety.org/
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 12:00 AM.