As the holidays crash down upon us like a breaking wave, PAWS of Grays Harbor is seeing solid adoption numbers.

Those adoptions come as animal control does a steady work with its impounds, said animal control officer Officer Kris Sidor, of the Aberdeen Police Department.

“We’re about the same on impounds as last year. We’re using social media more to advertise our lost and founds,” Sidor said. “It does work. Social media connects everything a lot faster.”

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The numbers are a little lower than usual, Sidor said, owing to a shift in animal control policy where the division has stopped taking in stray cats as the population in the county erupted, leaving animal control to focus on what it can feasibly accomplish.

“It just depends on what I can and cannot do,” Sidor said. “We’re still trying to catch up from COVID. When COVID happened, my vets shut down. The rescues shut down. The cat population just exploded here in Aberdeen. It’s bad all over. It’s just snowballing. It’s out of control.”

There’s no room for the rapidly expanding cat population to be housed if they are rescued, Sidor said.

“There’s no place for them to go. It’s a vicious circle. I’m kind of stuck in the middle,” Sidor said. “I don’t want that screaming cat in my backyard either, but what can I do?”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World PAWS of Grays Harbor administrative assistant Bigfoot gets a better look at a situation at the rescue shelter on Dec. 21.

County residents already have the best tools to help solve the problem and not become complicit in the growing issue, Sidor said.

“Spay or neuter your cat. Don’t allow that unwanted litter of kittens. There’s so many animals that need homes,” Sidor said.

Animal control works with PAWS, as well as North Beach PAWS and East County Rescue Transport to find homes for animals it picks up, Sidor said, but there has to be room for the animals to go.

“Donate to your shelter. Shelters are always in need of food, bedding, pet supplies,” Sidor said. “I can’t speak enough for my rescues that help me out here.”

For those adopting animals this year, or looking to protect their animal from getting lost, Sidor recommends getting the animal chipped — or updating the information — and make sure the animal is wearing a collar with a phone number on it.

“A chip helps, but you have to update that chip. There’s so many animals with chips with incorrect information,” Sidor said. “Put a phone number on your dog’s collar, on your cat’s collar. You’ve done everything you can for, if your animal gets lost, to get that animal back home.”

While social media helps, keeping the information your animal carries with it correct and updated can help prevent it from spending time at animal control and getting it back home to its family, Sidor said.

“I want to get that dog home. I want to get that cat home,” Sidor said. “I don’t want to put that animal in a cage. They’re not happy. They don’t understand.”

Courtesy photo / APD A very good girl who escaped from her house hangs out at the Aberdeen Police Department before returning home last week. The department’s animal control office is seeing normal numbers of stray dogs picked up, but an exploding population of stray cats.

Home for the holidays

PAWS of Grays Harbor is having a steady week as people look to adopt pets this holiday season, said Executive Director Anna Boeche, including one of the shelter’s longest-residing dogs, who found a home this week, Boeche said.

“We have probably a record intake this week and we have quite a lot coming in this week. We’re preparing for a full house,” Boeche said. “We’re starting to see a bit more, and I think we’ll see quite a bit more through the end of the week.”

The rescue organization looks to build-in some safeties to make sure any potential adoptions are a good match and prevent any buyer’s remorse, Boeche said.

“We have to have the person who is responsible for the cat apply. That’s how we like to do it. It’s difficult to pick out a pet for somebody. It’s a 20-year commitment, sometimes,” Boeche said. “Think of it as a family member. You wouldn’t necessarily want just anyone to move into your house. You want to select that as a family.”

The shelter is making great progress in matching animals with homes they’ll fit well in, Boeche said.

“I was just looking at numbers of returns, and in the past eight years, our numbers of returns are going lower and lower,” Boeche said. “This year, we’re going to have a record-breaking low for return rates.”

Adoptions from PAWS come with the spay/neuter cost and the starter shots for vaccination sequence as part of the adoption fee, Boeche said. There aren’t an enormous number of inexpensive options for those services in Grays Harbor, Boeche said, something to consider when getting a “free” puppy or kitten from someone who has a litter.

“Keep in mind there are additional costs. Think about the cost of spay or neuter. Call your local vet and ask for price quote to understand the cost of spay/neuter, vaccines, all things that fall under responsible pet ownership,” Boeche said. “The nearest low-cost option is Tacoma. People are shocked to hear that.”

Boeche also said to be mindful of bringing home a new pet into a home that already has pets present, seven days of isolation for a new pet that hasn’t had its vaccinations is a good practice

“When you’re bringing a new pet home, you want to think about the safety of any other animals in your household,” Boeche said. “When you adopt, make sure this animal has its vaccines before introducing it to any other pets.”

Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.