Jordan Chapman said he was not surprised when a crate of 30 unneutered cats arrived on the doorstep of the South Suburban Humane Society in late March.
The cats, some just 4 weeks old, were found smushed together in the crate on a cold Saturday at the John E. Traeger Family Picnic Area in a Cook County Forest Preserve in Park Ridge.
A few shelter staff spent hours examining, vaccinating, microchipping, distributing medication and even performing surgery on the 30 cats that afternoon.
Luckily, all the cats were healthy and still warm, Chapman said. Every cat survived and was up for adoption or in foster care within a few weeks.
Sadly, Chapman said, finding large groups of abandoned animals is not uncommon for the shelter, which serves 11 municipalities and all of Cook County. Not every animal is as lucky as the 30 cats, he said.
“I’m unfortunately never surprised anymore,” said Chapman, who has worked in animal welfare for nearly a decade. “I was shocked that they were all healthy, I will say that.”
More Top Picks Post Concussion Vision Problems Explained
Chapman said the forest preserve has become a popular dumping ground for pets, as it does not have cameras or many witnesses. Many shelters, including the South Suburban Humane Society, have cameras that can deter some people, he said.
Just last year, Chapman said, animal control found 15 “messy, matted” Shih Tzu dogs in the forest preserve.
In January, 18 dogs, some deceased, were found in a Ford Heights home during a drug bust, he said. Some of these dogs had been taken from neighboring yards and were reunited with their owners, he said.
Chapman said the issue can come down to fear and a lack of understanding and time.
He said people do not know what to do with large groups of animals, especially when a few unneutered cats or dogs can multiply quickly.
Alena Santangelo, director of animal care and intake for the society, said two or more unneutered cats can turn into 30 plus cats within six months.
Abandoning animals can not only be deathly for the animal, but it also makes it harder for shelters to serve an already under-resourced area, Chapman said.
He said that while the need is high, the number of shelters in the south suburbs is sparse, and the South Suburban Humane Society is the largest shelter in the area.
As of Thursday, the shelter had 155 animals in the building and 117 animals in foster care or other adoption sites.
The next closest shelters are in Tinley Park and Mokena, said Santangelo.
“Any animal that’s found within any of the municipalities plus Cook County come here by default,” Chapman said. “So if we didn’t exist, there would be a very large problem, in theory.”
Chapman said there were only a few staff members at the shelter when the 30 cats were brought in. Alicia Peterson, director of shelter operations, examined most of the cats by herself, he said.
Staff member Ruby Bahana said she even took eight of the kittens home and stayed awake all night feeding them. The shelter has 65 staff members.
“Our cat staff is always really good about letting them decompress, come out and understand that humans aren’t going to hurt you anymore,” Chapman said. “When they feel kind of crummy, that changes their personality.”
Instead of abandoning animals, Chapman strongly encouraged people to call, email or text the shelter so that they can make appointments and the shelter can better prepare. He also said people can reach out on social media.
He also said the shelter offers affordable, sometimes even free, neutering services in its clinic that operates four days a week. The shelter averages about 60 to 70 surgeries a day, he said.
People can also reach out if they need help affording food or figuring out how to keep their pet.
“Affordable care and spay and neuter services makes a massive difference in people being able to keep their pets, which changes the dynamic of relinquishing,” Chapman said.
“The best thing for a pet is to keep them in the home that they’re already in if it’s realistic,” he said.
Santangelo said if people find animals in the Cook County Forest Preserve, they should proceed with caution and contact the proper authorities such as Forest Preserve police or Cook County animal control, especially if the animals do not seem friendly.
Chapman said the humane society is funded by some company grants such as Petco, PetSmart and Subaru, but said the shelter would be struggling without its individual donations, as these grants can change.
As of Thursday morning, only one cat from the found crate was at the shelter, due to a small cold. The youngest kittens were still in foster care and most of the adult cats had already been adopted. The remaining cats were up for adoption at the Crestwood PetSmart.
More Top Picks Sensory Room Ideas Without Spending A Fortune