(Michigan City, IN) – Recently an influx of kittens made for close quarters at La Porte’s small animal shelter. Turns out, a cat shelter in Michigan City may be even more crowded and needs some help.

 

Fried’s Cat Shelter on Highway 212 has hundreds of feline residents. A couple of case studies serve to illustrate their predicament.

 

Shelter workers report they have been helping with a hoarding situation in recent years. They say the resident's husband acquired a single pregnant female cat back in 2017. The litter grew to a very unmanageable size, until nearly 100 cats were recently rescued from the home.

 

And recently police performed a welfare check at a local motel, where a long-term resident had passed away in bed. Next to the deceased was an emaciated, feces-covered, and apparently very loyal older cat. Fried’s has been nursing the feline, named Isabel, back to health.

 

Not all of the shelter’s stories have happy endings. Take for example, the case of an unfortunate cat, later named Speedy, that was thrown from a moving vehicle along I-94 earlier this month. A passing motorist stopped and retrieved Speedy, who was badly injured. A cat lover who was visiting the shelter at the time insisted on paying for Speedy’s emergency medical care, and the Good Samaritan who rescued her offered to adopt the suffering cat. Sadly, Speedy didn’t make it. But, as Fried’s staff optimistically noted, one person’s act of cruelty sparked other acts of kindness.

 

In between interventions, rescues, and adoptions, the staff at Fried’s has been organizing an open house, the Paws & Claws Showcase, which takes place Saturday. They have invited shelters, rescues, and animal organizations from around the area to set up booths and spread the word about pet adoption. The event takes place Saturday, July 25 from 11 am to 3 pm.

 

If you have any cat care supplies, or can give a kitty a fur-ever home, they’d love to have you visit.