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The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission is urgently seeking donations of wet cat and kitten food – and has already been met with a large community response.
In a July 16 Facebook post, MADACC shared that it's "bursting at the seams" with around 280 cats and kittens, and 140 dogs – and ran out of canned cat and kitten food.
Kate Hartlund, MADACC's community engangement and volunteer coordinator, said it's not abnormal for the shelter to run out of cat food – especially in the late spring and early summer months, when it gets an influx of cats.
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But just one day after posting the request to Facebook, donations have come flooding in.
"It has been shared over a thousand times, which is mind-boggling," Hartlund said. "I woke up to probably 85 or 90 emails from Chewy letting me know that donations are on the way. People have been coming in since yesterday, dropping off donations."
MADACC, 3839 W. Burnham St. in West Milwaukee, provides animal care and control services across Milwaukee County. Hartlund said the organization relies heavily on donations for all its operations, but particularly cat and kitten food.
Hartlund said the July 16 Facebook post urgently requesting food donations was the third or fourth of its kind this year already – but the first to really take off with such a positive response.
Still, she said, the shelter will never ask people to stop sending donations, as they move through donations rapidly. For reference, a 24-pack of wet cat food isn't even enough to feed a room of cats once a day.
In addition to feeding the animals at the shelter, MADACC tries to provide as much support and supplies as it can to its foster families.
Hartlund said MADACC is grateful for the generous donations, especially at a time when the economy has been rough for many.
Earlier in the week, the organization shared on Facebook that it's seeking people to foster the newborns. MADACC provides formula, bottles, heating supplies and support, but needs fosters who can provide frequent feedings and care that aren't feasible at a large shelter.
Hartlund asked that anyone who finds very young kittens first observe them for several hours before bringing them into MADACC. In most cases, the mother cat is hiding nearby, and neonatal kittens have the best likelihood of survival in the care of their mother.
Beyond that, the organization is always looking for other types of fosters and forever home placements, Hartland said.
"Please come adopt," she said. "If you are ever thinking about adopting, now is the perfect time."
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or [email protected]. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MADACC requests food donations while 'bursting at the seams' with cats
