Pittsylvania Pet Center takes in more than 50 cats from one home this week

46 cats from one home came in earlier this month

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – More than 50 cats have been brought in to the Pittsylvania Pet Center this week after their owner died.

"From one home, we've gotten about 56 cats so far and we're still getting more in," shelter manager Catrina Valania said.

While the cats alone are overwhelming, they're even more so coming in on top of the 102 pets that came in during the first 10 days of the month.

Those pets included 46 cats from one home and, like the cats being brought in this week, ended up at the shelter because their owner died.

Valania said this is challenging in more ways than one.

"A lot of times, in a case like this where there's many cats in one home, some of them are ill. So medically, it can be challenging. It can also be challenging just trying to find enough space," Valania explained.

For a large group of pets like this, Valania said medical costs can quickly reach into the thousands of dollars.

"We really depend on donations strongly. That's basically what we run off of as a 501c3," she emphasized.

As challenging as the influx of pets may be, the shelter's community engagement supervisor, Kari Marshall, said it is also rewarding.

"These cats are going from an environment where they were loved, but not in the way that we want to see them loved. They're getting back on track. They're getting the medical attention that they need; they're getting the weight put back on that they need," Marshall said.

Since the pet center's announcement last week about the 102 pets that came in, a few have been adopted.

In an effort to get more adopted, cats will be free on Friday.