Cats are the most popular companion animal in the U.S., with more than 86 million of them living in nearly 39 million American households.

Statistics show that 3.1 million cats are adopted each year and Tens of millions more free roaming cats live outdoors. This population of felines are called “Community Cats”

“Community Cats” have no “owner”.  Not all that wander are lost.  These felines are self-sufficient, they have a consistent food source, live in groups or colonies, some managed by community members/farmers and some not.  Their sociability ranges from truly unsocialized, feral cats to friendly, strays cats who have become lost.

Crossroads Animal Shelter is working to assist the community to address this concern.

Addressing Feline Over Population

How Do We Do This?

First off, we need to acknowledge that this is a community issue. We are here to help and support in the best way that we can. This is a community issue that requires a community response and community support.

Crossroads works to do this by managing our intake. This means that we do intake by appointments.  We schedule our intakes to ensure that we have the appropriate housing, resources, and veterinary care available when felines arrive at our facility, prioritizing those in greatest need and ensuring we are not overcrowding the shelter.

This in turn allows us to minimize stress and illness in shelter, allowing for felines to move more quickly to adoption and on to a home.

If you have a feline that you found, we can provide you with resources (food, litter boxes, etc.) to provide care.  We will work to prioritize intake of this feline.

Visit our Surrenders page.

How You Can Help.

Whether you’re caring for outdoor cats or simply an animal welfare ambassador, you can make a difference in cat overpopulation in our community while bettering the life of a homeless feline.

Spay And Neuter:  Spay or Neuter YOUR feline.  Be part of the solution. If you have a colony in your area coordinate efforts with your neighbors to sponsor a spay neuter clinic for your community felines. Below are some resources

Identification: Help us get your feline back home to you.  Crossroads provides both services.

  • Collar and Tag
  • Microchip

Adopt, Don’t Shop!  If you’re looking for a feline friend, adopt instead of purchasing from a breeder.

Support your local shelter:  Cats end up at the shelters for one reason or another.  Help ease cat overpopulation by adopting.

Can’t Adopt But Still Want To Help?

Foster: Fostering is an excellent opportunity that allows you to temporarily house an animal that would otherwise be taking up space and resources in the shelter. Not only are you freeing up space for us to support more animals, but you’re also helping to ease the fear, anxiety, stress, and frustration that many animals face in a shelter environment. Learn more about Fostering.

Volunteer: Volunteering has various hands-on and remote opportunities, which allows you to aid Crossroads in our mission in providing care and second chances for animals in need. Sign up to be a volunteer.

Donate: Donating money or supplies to help provide the necessities to all of the animals in our care and expanding our programs. Donate now.

Crossroads Is Planning For The Future

Crossroads is working to support the community needs. We hear you! Expanded services, hours, resources.  In response to what we hear from you, Crossroads is in the process of building a surgical suite and is in the early stages of identifying programs to help address some of these issues for affordable sterilization and TNR assistance. This will take time and is not going to happen overnight. We ask for your partnership and support in doing this.

One way or another, we can all do our part to ease overpopulation and find homes for shelter animals!