In the past several weeks, we have been discussing the chronic overcrowding at the Aiken County Animal Shelter resulting from the overpopulation of homeless companion animals due to indiscriminate breeding practices. Let’s look at the numbers.

Because of its warmer climates, the breeding season in the South is longer than places farther north. Cats are seasonally polyestrous, meaning their heat cycles are triggered by longer daylight hours. Using conservative estimates, a mama cat can have up to 3 litters annually, with 12-18 kittens/year. Assuming a 25% female kitten survival rate, a single breeding mama can produce ~3000 kittens every six years.

As for dogs, females can go into heat twice a year, but let’s be conservative. Assume 1.5 litters/year (some heats skipped/failed), 5 pups/litter, and only 30% female pups survive to breed. In the case, the six year estimate for one unspayed female pup is ~600 cumulative pups.

With these numbers, it’s easy to understand how rapidly the overpopulation of homeless animals escalates in the South. It is also easy to see how unplanned and accidental breeding dangerously overwhelms the county shelter’s capacity and stresses a fragile animal welfare system desperately attempting to rehome every adoptable animal.

These numbers also demonstrate the need for a dedicated spay/neuter clinic in Aiken County to reduce the chronic overcrowding at the county shelter and to support a currently fragile animal control system without resorting to euthanizing adoptable animals.

The Aiken County Council understands the need and is making plans to build a spay/neuter clinic, but it could be years until the day it opens its doors. What can you do in the meantime.

• Volunteer at the shelter to help with the increased number of animals.
• Be a foster family.
• Donate an afternoon to taking one of our dogs out for a well-deserved rest from a crowed shelter as part of our Dog Day Out program. All you need is a license and a few hours. We’ll pick you a suitable dog.
• Adopt another animal (or two), maybe select one of the less adoptable senior animals or one with disabilities. If you cannot adopt another animal, please spread our social media posts about the many deserving animals available for adoption.
• If you or someone you know finds a stray, or if circumstances force you or someone you know to do the unthinkable and give up your pet, please rehome your pet privately. Encourage others to rehome privately. Our Home-to-Home program is a great resource.
• Encourage your friends, families, and neighbors to have their pets fixed with private vets and clinics if possible.
• Donate, donate, donate—for our pet food bank, transfer costs to sister shelters, extra medical care when needed, and lifesaving equipment and programs. Think about designating a legacy gift to the shelter for future needs.

Collectively, we must pull together as a community to help the shelter and the thousands of homeless pets until the County’s dedicated, low-cost, spay/neuter clinic if open for business.

Your collective generosity and commitment have been, and continues to be, the hope of all those homeless, abandoned, and abused animals in Aiken County. God bless you all.

Go to fotasaiken.org to see all the ways you can help. Together, we can make our community shelter a resource and not a destination.

Their lives are in our hands.

By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President