Marsha, a scruffy twelve-year old cat with amber eyes ambled out of her TV-shaped bed to say hello at Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge.
Her fur had been shaved close to the skin. When rescuers found her wandering in Greenfield Township in April, her fur was matted and covered in ticks in what rescuers said was the worst case they’d ever seen.
Now, Marsha’s again fighting for her life after surviving a grand mal seizure in late May. But despite what she’s been through, volunteers say she’s the sweetest cat.
Her story is one of hundreds of animals at Blue Chip – and volunteer Emma Ripka said she worries shelters won’t be able to keep up.
Surrenders are at an all-time high, as well as cruelty cases, medical cases, strays,” said Ripka during an interview at the shelter. “I feel like every year we say it's an all-time high, because every year just seems to beat the others and it's a never-ending cycle. There's more animals coming in than any shelter can handle at this point … Everyone is completely full at all times.”
Ripka said Blue Chip has roughly 60 dogs, 45 rabbits and a hundred cats across its three buildings in Dallas, Luzerne County.
Fewer dogs and cats enter shelters nationwide in 2024
While local shelters struggle to handle new intakes, fewer animals are entering shelters nationwide.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports that the number of animals entering shelters has decreased since 2023. However, the length of time dogs, especially large dogs, are staying in shelters before adoption has increased in the last five years, which strains the “already overburdened shelter system.”
ASPCA added that this strain contributes to the ongoing capacity crisis and limits space for new animals.
In Lackawanna County, Development Director Sherry Crolly said Griffin Pond Animal Shelter is bursting with the number of animals in its care. Since January 2023, the shelter has been operating at double its capacity. Volunteers turned everything from offices to lobbies into additional kennels.
“Two years ago, it used to be that we cared for 200 animals. Now, we're at 250 … I feel like there's a trifecta effect going on. Part of it is [rising] veterinarian costs for people, the cost of supplies: food, [housing, healthcare] … and then you have [more strays]. We're seeing more hoarding cases,” said Crolly during an interview at the shelter.
Leadership Lackawanna stepped in this year to raise $10,000 over the last 10 months to build a six-unit habitat to house six cats in the shelter's lobby.
Crolly said the community's support is vital to handle the number of new animals coming into the shelter. The shelter took in a hoarding case of 132 cats from one home in February.
“I think people are finally speaking up about it,” Crolly said, explaining why she thinks shelters are seeing more hoarding cases.
She added that in some instances, owners failed to spay and neuter their animals, especially cats. Some owners also might have passed away, leaving their animals unattended if they weren’t able to make plans.
Animal Cruelty Laws in Pennsylvania
Ripka pushed lawmakers to pass stricter animal cruelty laws to protect animals before they enter shelters. She was critical of what she described as unfair laws limiting dog shelters and kennels from taking in pregnant animals and advocated for more legislation to protect cats.
“Cats have absolutely no laws protecting them at all. Dog laws for shelters are getting a lot stricter, but they're not getting stricter for the animal owners or the abusers,” said Ripka.
In Pennsylvania, there are laws against neglect, bodily harm and torture, tethering an unattended dog outside for more than nine hours at a time and animal fighting, but less protections for cats. For example, it is prohibited by law to declaw a dog in Pennsylvania, but there are no statewide laws against declawing cats.
Declawing is the surgical removal of all or part of a cat’s toe bones and attached claws. It is extremely painful and is illegal in two of Pennsylvania’s neighboring states: New York and Maryland.
Ripka questioned whether Pennsylvania’s laws give law enforcement enough authority to protect animals from cruelty and irresponsible breeders.
“It's very rare for a case to actually make it to the courts, and then anything to actually be done about it. And if they are found guilty, it's a very small penalty that they receive,” said Ripka. And unfortunately, our law officers … or animal officers are working very hard, but their hands are kind of tied when it comes to the law, because animals aren't taken too seriously.”
Rising veterinary care costs and COVID-19’s effect on animal shelters
Crolly said rising costs for veterinary care and a more limited housing market after the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on shelters.
Before the pandemic, she said Griffin Pond could get a 70 lb dog neutered for $150. Now, that number’s around $700 to $800.
At Blue Chip, Ripka said the shelter spends one to three thousand dollars a week on basic veterinary care alone.
During a busy week in March, volunteers reported Blue Chip spent over $60,000 in veterinary costs.
Ripka blamed the price increase on the rising cost of supplies. The growth of private equity companies buying clinics and instability in the global supply chain during the pandemic did not help to lower costs.
“It's not the vet's fault … That's why it's even more important to know that you can afford the animal before you take it on,” said Ripka.
Some local vets give shelters like Blue Chip discounts for care, but Ripka said that it rarely covers their costs.
Resources for low-cost animal care: Indraloka Animal Sanctuary
While local shelters are struggling, there are low-cost animal services in the region for owners who need a hand.
Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in Dalton, Luzerne County, runs the NEPA Rescue Veterinary Clinic to cut down on expensive veterinary visits. The sanctuary rescues farm animals like horses, pigs, goats, cows and chickens, and also provides therapeutic services through the care of animals.
Founder and CEO Indra Lahiri said in a June interview that she first opened the clinic to help rescues and shelters manage costs, but expanded its services to the community once the clinic started getting calls from families in need.
“So, we decided last year to open our clinic up to low-income households as well, and since then, the demand has been so high that we've actually just hired a second veterinarian who's offering evening and weekend hours,” Lahiri said over the phone.
She said that rising salaries for veterinarians to match living expenses, a shortage of people going into the industry and costs for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment puts a strain on small clinics in the region. Indraloka is spared from some of these issues because of the community support it receives from its nonprofit partners and status.
Without support, many of the clinic’s families would otherwise have to surrender their animals to shelters. Lahiri said the clinic removes the barrier of veterinary care so animals can stay with their families.
“The shelters can't handle the influx of animals … Many of [the animals] have had very good homes with loving families. [And] simply through no fault of their own, [the family] ended up in a situation where now care is so expensive and all of their other expenses have gone up … I mean, families are struggling to buy groceries for themselves, much less for their companion animals,” said Lahiri.
Lahiri said the demand for low-cost veterinary care has grown to the point where the clinic will soon offer pop-up clinics across the region. The clinic secured a veterinarian and vet tech to run the program and only needs businesses to host the pop-up locations.
“It's our goal … to start offering pop-up clinics around the region, because we understand also that for a lot of folks, even the drive out to Dalton is expensive, gas-wise for them. Or, they may not even have a vehicle of their own,” she said.
“We are ready now. We just need places to go,” Lahiri said.
The pop-up will provide wellness checks, vaccine services and help families set up appointments with the Dalton clinic or a local specialist if their pet needs more comprehensive care.
Visit Indraloka’s website for a full list of services, including prices at the NEPA Rescue Vet Clinic. New clients need to submit an intake form which includes documentation to show that they are low-income as following guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
For more information on Indraloka’s NEPA Rescue Vet Clinic, call 570-665-9215.
Other resources for cats and dogs in NEPA and Central Pennsylvania
No Nonsense Neutering: Low-cost spay and neuter services with clinics in Plains, Reading and Allentown. The clinic also provides trap-neuter-release services for feral animals and travels with a pop-up clinic. Updated times and information on pop-up clinic locations are on Facebook.
Eastern PA Animal Alliance: Low-cost spay and neuter services with clinics in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. The organization also provides Trap-Neuter-Release services and posts information on clinic dates online.
