BYRON CENTER, Mich. — A local cat shelter is reaching out to the community for help feeding more than 100 feline residents as it prepares for the fall season.
Focus on Ferals, a volunteer-run shelter in Byron Center, has been caring for cats of all ages for 20 years. The organization recently posted on Facebook requesting food donations to help sustain their large population of cats.
WATCH: Cat shelter needs donations of animal food
"We have cats that are as young as a couple weeks, and we have cats that are as old as, you know, 12 years, 13 years," said Amanda Brand, a volunteer at the shelter.
The shelter began as a small operation run Gina Bajrić , who started the organization in her garage.
"She started this all out of her garage. She was just doing TNR (trap, neuter, returns) for local cats, and then got into getting cats new homes, finding shelters for them," Brand said.
Today, Focus on Ferals houses more than 100 cats across two areas of their facility, as well as with the many foster homes in the network.
"So we have over 100 cats here at the shelter, between our front area, which we call the adoption side, and then our garage area, where we have feral cats that we're getting neutered or spayed before we return them to their outdoor environments," Brand said.
The large number of cats creates a significant need for supplies, particularly food. The shelter goes through dozens of cans daily.
"We go through anywhere from 40 to 50 cans of food a day. So a standard wet food pack, like the big ones that are sent to us, they're gone on a single day," Brand said.
As a no-kill shelter, Focus on Ferals sometimes faces expensive medical costs for cats requiring specialized treatment.
"There are some cats that cost thousands and thousands of dollars with treatment of specific diseases, or if they need specific medical treatments," Brand said.
And with the shelter being completely run by volunteers, the need continues to rise.
Some volunteers have been with the shelter for a decade, and understand how much of an impact these donations make in the cats' daily care.
"We don't buy any wet food that's all donated, just not in our budget to do that. So any of the wet food that's donated kind of a special treat for the cats," said Carol Austin, a volunteer with Focus on Ferals.
The shelter accepts donations through multiple methods, including online wish lists. For those interested in adoption, adult cats cost $100 and kittens cost $125.
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