A Houston-area animal shelter called "Adopt-a-Cat has had to shut down after 30 years of operation because of a combination of unfortunate circumstances, the most important of which is that the Covid-19 pandemic changed the world and it appears to have changed the amount of disposable income people have and therefore can give to charity.
Dr Harper is closing Adopt-a-Cat in Houston due to a lack of funds by Michael Broad
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I think this is due to the fact that after Covid there was high inflation which resulted in financial hardship and also countries had built up debt. Businesses were disrupted and lifestyles were also disrupted. People had to tighten their belts and therefore some charities lost out.
And sadly, this has happened to Adopt-a-Cat. The founder is Dr. Beverly Harper. She says it costs about $7000 to care for the cats and pay for the shelter's three employees per month I believe. It's an expensive business. But they've been successfully operating since 1994 but they no longer have the money to keep going.
Dr. Harper said that the donations started to dry up during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the pandemic there are few people willing to donate which has been compounded by recent storms apparently in the area.
Dr. Harper said that "People don't have the money that they had [and] they're doing things like getting rid of the trees in their yard". I take that to mean the trees that have uprooted by the storms.
It became clear to Dr. Harper that she would have to close. She says that she is a realist and she knows that everything ends. The shelter has stopped taking in new cats and are hoping to adopt out the remaining cats at the shelter (80).
Sadly, some people still dump cats at the shelter in boxes outside despite being told that they are not taking in any new cats.
My research indicates that many animal shelters in the Houston area have been experiencing financial struggles. The factors contributing to this unfortunate situation include:
Increased demand: There are high intake rates animals due to overpopulation and abandonment according to my research. This might also be linked to the post-Covid situation causing financial stresses and other disruptions to normal lifestyles.
Limited resources: many shelters operate on tight budgets and rely on donations and volunteer support. It's quite troublesome to keep things going sometimes.
Rising costs: there have been increase costs as we know due to inflation and these include increase costs in veterinary care and pet food. And also maintenance expenses have increased making it harder for shelters to sustain operations.
Economic impact: there is a broader economic aspects to this as mentioned which can reduce donations from the public and impact fundraising efforts.
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