Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
FAIRFAX, Va – There’s an ominous sign on the door of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.
“Alert! We have no cage space for cats. If you surrender a cat it will be humanely euthanized. Please use us as a last resort.”
The shelter, part of the Fairfax County Animal Services Division, has been inundated with cats and kittens in recent days.
“Unfortunately that’s a reality we had two days ago,” says Dr. Karen Diviney, who runs the shelter. “We had only one cage left in the entire building.”
Diviney says it happens often at this time of year when people change jobs or move.
“We asked people not to bring in any more cats, but we got seven more anyway,” Diviney says.
The shelter also handles dogs, rabbits guinea pigs and other types of animals.
Diviney is advising people who have kittens in the home to keep them with their mother for at least eight weeks and then try to find homes before considering the shelter.
Most animals at the shelter are available for adoption. Adult dogs and cats are spayed or neutered and all have been vaccinated. The fee is $30 and the volunteers and the shelter will do a home visit before an adoption is complete.
The shelter, located at 4500 West Ox Rd. in Fairfax, is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Available pets can be viewed online or at the shelter. Those interested in pets can also call the shelter at 703-830-1100.
The shelter also has a list of frequently asked adoption questions.
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