Local animal shelters are in crisis.

Not enough money, not enough staff, and way too many strays.

Donna Crum, who oversees Blue Mountain Animal Rescue Society Inc., says they are beyond full.

They have 37 cats in-house and 22 in foster programs.

“The operating expenses are killing us.” Crum said.

Consider the essentials, food, heat and then the vet bills, which have risen considerably.

They’ll travel to Scranton for $100 spay and neutering clinics. Add to that $26 in tolls and $20 for gas each way.

Susie Yaich, one of the founders of Carbon County Friends in Jim Thorpe, said when they started the shelter 27 years ago, they wanted to make a dent in the feral cat population, but it’s worse than ever. Yaich wishes people would just get their cats spayed and neutered.

Financial restraints force them to turn cats away, something they don’t want to do.

The shelter was founded with the mission to help homeless and strays. Instead, people show up with the excuse that they suddenly developed an allergy and no one in the family can take the cat.

“We get it all the time,” she said.

Blue Mountain, located in Snydersville and serving Carbon County and surrounding communities, has five different waiting lists with some 400 cats of all ages and special needs.

There used to be a kitten season in spring when a lot of strays would give birth.

“Now there are kittens, kittens and more kittens.” Yaich said.

The more cats there are in a small space, the more viruses spread and the more care they need.

Even with vets offering discounts, bills add up.

“A lot of the cats are in rough shape,” Yaich said. Some of the cats that come in as strays have eye infections so severe their eyes need to be removed. Still, they are adoptable to the right person.

Crum agreed that eye issues are tough when they are not caught early enough. Those deplete the emergency fund.

Dental work is often needed, which can be $350 to $500. Multiply the bills by the 150 cats in the Friends of Animals shelter at any time.

Yaich said they are constantly running to the vet.

Add in employee costs, equipment and building upkeep.

Both shelters rely strictly on donations and fundraisers.

Payroll is the biggest cost as it’s hard to rely on volunteers. There is laundry to be folded, floors to be mopped, litter boxes that need to be cleaned several times a day.

A new CCFOA fundraising committee has formed for both big projects and everyday expenses.

Everyone helps in the community. Groups like Palmerton Cat Project provide foster homes, but they can handle only so much.

Everyone is experiencing higher expenses, which means donations are down.

Recently, in the space of two days a woman dropped off seven kittens from a litter.

Oh, the stories of neglect they tell. Crum recently had someone drop off a sick kitten in a urine soaked carrier, left on the doorstep in 21 degree weather.

“People are getting desperate and they are doing desperate things,” Crum said.

Rescuers foot the bill.

Blue Mountain does fundraising all the time. Tonight is cat yoga. Another day is a bake sale. GoFundMe accounts, candy sales, flower sales allow them to save one cat at a time. Every $100 pays for one spay and neutering.

It’s not just cats. Tom Connors is the director of the Carbon County Animal Shelter, a county supported dog shelter, also overrun. He reports an “overwhelming” amount of dogs being given up and being dumped.

On this day the shelter had 20 dogs for its 15 kennels.

If people call ahead, he tries to find homes for dogs before they even come to the shelter.

He talks about a husky thrown out of a car. It’s undernourished and will require extra vet care.

He paints a grim picture, starting with the economy. People can’t afford care, or get evicted and can’t take the dogs with them. A lot of people don’t do even do basic care, he said.

Want to help but can’t adopt? Consider a donation of money or supplies.

Cat shelters gladly accept food and litter donations. Crum said canned food is preferred. They love Fancy Feast. Scoopable litter, cat toys, towers, copy paper, paper towels, laundry soap and Dawn dish soap are on the list.

Volunteer cat cuddlers are welcome. Both love visitors and works with school groups, who enjoy animals and bring fresh ideas.

Connors, too, welcomes donations of food, cleaning supplies and most importantly time. Helpers can walk dogs and help socialize them.

Check with the shelters for more needs.

It’s a call for help from the shelters. Crum summed it up. “It doesn’t matter which rescue you help as long as you help one of them.”

MARTA GOUGER | MGOUGER@TNONLINE.COM