Statesman Journal Editorial Board

The Salem Friends of Felines shelter has been serving the Mid-Valley for more than a dozen years.

Since 2004, it has found new homes for more than 12,000 homeless cats and kittens and provided funds for more than 10,000 low or no-cost spay and neuter surgeries.

Throughout that time, it has made an occasional plea for assistance.

It has asked for, and received from donors, kitten formula, low-calorie food for adult cats, towels and blankets, and volunteers. Lots of volunteers.

But none of those appeals have been as urgent as one received from the shelter last week.

SFOF needs cash, and a good chunk of it, $75,000 to be exact, by June 15 to keep the shelter open and operational.

Several scenarios have aligned to slam it with a perfect storm of fund-draining woes.

The shelter has been hit with a sizable increase in medical expenses by accepting of too many cats with serious injuries and illnesses that required major veterinary medical care. Often the shelter doesn't have a say in which cats it takes; in as many of these felines are dropped on their front stoop.

The medical bills add up quickly, even when veterinarians offer discounts.

At the same time, SFOF has continued to distribute low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter certificates to the community's neediest cat owners.

The shelter knows that without the discounts to make sterilization surgeries affordable, many more cats would breed and add to the already burgeoning number of homeless cats in the community.

The money to pay for these community certificates comes from a grant, said Emily Fuller, president of the SFOF Board of Directors, and the funds have been exhausted due to demand.

Yet the public is still clamoring for the discounts.

Another financial challenge exacerbating the situation is the lack of response from a major donor who normally gives generously this time of year.

"When our general donations have typically gone down during the summer months, this donor has stepped up to help out. But our attempts to contact this person have been unsuccessful," Fuller said.

It's noble work taking care of society's discards, and the community needs all of its various shelters helping to take care of the critters others have left behind. It can't afford to lose a single one.

The community should know before it donates that SFOF is under new management and has a revised board of directors. The shelter hopes it won't have to shutter its doors, and is planning a restructuring to ensure it doesn't face this critical situation again.

Policies were revised a few months ago to address the current issues and establish a path toward financial solvency, Fuller said, but the actions were not taken soon enough to avoid the current financial challenges.

As we all get ready for summer vacations, please remember that this shelter doesn't take a holiday. It needs the community's help to carry on.

To help:

Salem Friends of Fellines, donations can be made online at www.sfof.org, in person, or mailed to 980 Commercial St. NE, Salem, OR 97302. All donations are tax deductible.