The Pembina Valley Humane Society (PVHS) currently has a waiting list for cats to enter the shelter, while some felines have stayed at the shelter for over a year without being adopted.

Unfortunately, this is not a rare problem.

A single cat could have 15 kittens a year if it isn't spayed. This kind of reproduction frenzy is one reason the PVHS is at capacity for cats.

Megan Rodgers, fundraising co-chair for the PVHS, suggests neutering male cats could solve the problem of over-population. As far as the long stays for cats at the shelter, she suggests it could be due to false assumptions by people looking to adopt.

"Sometimes I think people don't realize that when you come to a shelter, you can get all kinds of cats," said Rodgers, adding there can be a variety of temperaments.

"There are shy cats that tend to be overlooked because they don't aggressively seek attention. We hope the public will come down and maybe give some of the shyer cats an opportunity to go to a home or a farm to live," she said.

"I think sometimes, your pet chooses you."

As of Feb 22, there were 22 cats in Morden's shelter and 14 on the waiting list. This is partly explained by the current season. Adoptions for cats and dogs are lower in winter, but pick up in spring and summer.

"People are more willing to walk a dog when it's nice outside than when it's cold," Rodgers commented.

The shelter doesn't fill up with dogs as quickly, but does have trouble adopting out large black dogs and black cats. This is a trend in all animal shelters possibly due superstition or simple preference. Rodgers thinks people are more drawn to colourful dogs in general than black dogs.