SALT LAKE CITY — When extreme flooding devastated communities in Central Texas, many pets had to be rescued or put in shelters while their families were displaced.
Because of this influx, local pet shelters in the area became overcrowded. But Utah is stepping up to help by accepting pets that were already up for adoption in Texas.
"We try to get animals out of those shelters to make room for the animals who are displaced by the disaster," said Patrick Theobald, the community programs manager for Best Friends Animal Society in Salt Lake City.
On Wednesday, 50 cats (many of which are kittens) arrived in Salt Lake City on a flight from San Marcos, Texas, as part of a partnership between the Best Friends Animal Society and Wings of Rescue.
The cats will be examined by veterinarians and receive any necessary medical care before becoming available for adoption.
"We've been asking a lot of our rescue organizations and a lot of our partners in the No Kill Utah Coalition to take in some of these cats to make sure that they all have a chance at finding a good home," Theobald said. "We also have been taking cats in from our sanctuary down in Kanab... where they can get medical care if they need it and really get themselves situated so that then they can move up to Salt Lake City to be adopted."
While Best Friends itself will have some cats available for adoption, they said they're also partnering with the Humane Society of Northern Utah, Celestial Zoo, Carbon Cat Rescue and Heidi’s Kittens to find homes for these felines.
"The best way for people here in Salt Lake City to help is consider opening your home to a foster cat or even a foster dog, just to make more space at our center so that we can continue providing the care, the level of care that these cats deserve," Theobald said.
Even if someone's not ready to commit to a lifelong pet, Theobald said fostering a pet is extremely helpful.
"[It's] just such a rewarding experience. It is really important for us here at the center because as hard as we try, we cannot give every cat and every dog all of the one-on-one attention that they deserve," he said, "So we do our best to get all of these animals into foster homes where they can relax. They can kind of come out of the shellshock that they have sometimes from being moved from place to place in the shelter, and they can really start having their personalities come to the forefront."
And, of course, for anyone actively looking for a new pet, Theobald urges adoption.
"Check out the animals at their local shelter or here at Best Friends first before they go looking for anything else, because you might be surprised," he said. "Maybe you think you're looking for one kind of dog, and then you go to the shelter and lightning strikes, the vibes are right and you find your new family member."
