Brookings shelter in need of cat adopters after rescue

BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) – Adopters, litter, bleach. 

That is what the Brookings Regional Humane Society is asking the community for after recently taking in 32 cats from a hoarding situation. 

The shelter now has over 110 cats, about 80 of them ready for adoption. 

“We weren’t empty by any means when we got the call about this hoarding situation,” shelter manager Moiria Curry said.

The 32 cats and kittens from the rescue all have ringworm, which Curry says is harmless, but will take between four and six weeks to treat. The shelter can’t begin spaying and neutering the cats until after the ringworm clears up. 

So, while the cats rescued this weekend can’t be adopted for a while, the other 80 cats– and 20 dogs– need homes to make room for the quarantined new cats. 

“Getting the animals that are ready and available and adopted out of the shelter will help us so much in helping us treat and have a really great outcome for these cats that just came in,” Curry said. 

If people aren’t able to adopt, there are still ways to help. Right now, the shelter needs bleach, litter and cardboard flats for disposable litter boxes. 

Brookings resident MacKenzie Ginithan stopped into the shelter on Wednesday to deliver cat food and litter after seeing the call for help.

“It just seemed like a no-brainer,” he said. “I saw the call, the need, and I was like, well we have extra supplies, so let’s just go. And we love cats, so it’s hard to pass up.”

Financial donations are also needed, Curry said. For the cats with ringworm, they get twice weekly medicated baths and oral fungal medications and deworming, along with routine intake tests, vaccinations, spay/neutering and microchipping.  

The Brookings Regional Humane Society is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and closed Sundays. They recommend making an appointment before stopping in.