Kattholt Shelter Overwhelmed As Summer Brings Spike In Abandoned Cats

The cat shelter Kattholt is currently overflowing with homeless cats, and its managers are now appealing to the public for cat food, litter, and other supplies that could help support their operations, reports Vísir.

Kattholt, which has for years been operated by the Cat Protection Society of Iceland (Kattavinafélag Íslands) in the Árbær district of Reykjavík, announced on social media that they are now full to the brim with homeless cats. In the same statement, the public was asked to donate any cat food, litter, or scratching posts they may have at home. Ninja Dögg Torfadóttir, the manager of Kattholt, says the surge in homeless cats can be linked to the time of year.

“Now it’s summertime, and unfortunately, people are travelling, and this is the time when they don’t have time for their pets. It’s usually the time when Kattholt fills up. Right now, we’re almost completely out of food, and we’re doing everything we can to care for the cats as best we can — but we need a little help, that’s just how it is, unfortunately.”

Ninja says all support is welcome. “Most of the cats currently in our shelter will eventually be looking for new homes, but as things stand, many of them are very frightened and need more time to adjust. We’re working on that. We need foster homes, and we also just need volunteers to come and help — we’ve had wonderful volunteers who come and talk to the cats, just to socialise them and give them a better chance of being adopted.”

She adds that the number of cats at Kattholt is in line with seasonal trends. “It seems like, in the summer, people just want to get rid of their pets. I hate to say it, but it’s simply the time when people are very busy, and the animals end up somewhere else. That’s just the way it is — they’re not always priority one, two, or three.”