As recently as 2014, the Cherryland Humane Society (CHS) was facing dire financial straits. Donations were down, costs up, and the organization facing the very real possibility of having to close its doors. Today, several years into a new strategic plan and the tenure of a new executive director, things are looking healthier for the nonprofit animal shelter – though Executive Director Heidi Yates says there is still work to be done – particularly right now.

“We’re having tons of kittens coming in, almost every day,” Yates says. “I feel like we’re shoveling quicksand, because even though we’re taking in the kittens, the mom cat is still out there reproducing. We help those kittens, but it’s still going to keep happening. So that’s incredibly frustrating.”

CHS – which currently has a staff of 10 and hundreds of volunteers – is taking steps to curb what Yates describes as a “rampant pet overpopulation” problem in the area, particularly for cats.

CHS’s enhanced foster program has been key for this spring’s flood of kittens. CHS does not adopt out an animal until it has been spayed, neutered, and vaccinated. For baby animals, those steps can’t happen right away. A kitten must be three pounds and about three months old before it can go through the process. That’s three months of strain on the limited kennel space, a problem CHS has worked to address through its foster program, whereby families typically adopt baby animals from CHS temporarily, sometimes even taking home entire litters of kittens and caring for them until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered. CHS supports the fosters by paying for vet care and providing food, toys, litter boxes, and other supplies. Eventually, the animals come back to CHS to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and put up for adoption.

Building the foster program is just one of the initiatives Yates has overseen since taking the executive director role in June 2015. Almost immediately upon her arrival, Yates worked with the CHS board to institute a no-kill policy. All animals are now microchipped for tracking purposes in case they get lost. There is a brand-new agility course and several new play pens for the dogs. All cats are tested for feline leukemia, which is transmittable to other cats.

The organization is close to paying off the mortgage for its facility on Ahlberg Road, off LaFranier. By the end of next year, Yates hopes to have the facility – built in 2002 – paid off entirely. That would free up funds to be spent elsewhere, including on a potential building expansion.

Just recently, CHS hired an animal behaviorist and launched new programs for dog training and animal enrichment. The dog training program helps recent dog adopters with obedience or behavioral problems that might otherwise result in the dog being returned to the shelter.

Looking forward, Yates says she wants to build on the presence CHS has in the community. The shelter will be working with students from Michigan State University this summer to revamp its marketing strategy and increase its social media reach. Those factors – along with an increased focus on partnerships with dog shows, senior expos, the Cherry Festival, and other events – will either boost fundraising, encourage adoptions, or both, she believes.

The biggest priority for Yates, though – and the one thing she says could make a difference in local pet overpopulation in the long run – is louder advocacy for spaying and neutering. CHS is even pushing to get into the schools, to educate students about why this step is such an important part of responsible pet ownership.

“We could build 500 more kennels here and we would still fill them up,” Yates says. “It doesn’t solve the problem, and the problem is not spaying and neutering. Not spaying and neutering is the number one reason there’s pet overpopulation. I always tell people that this isn’t like cancer or heart disease, where you’re striving for a cure for this horrible disease. This is something where it’s preventable. If people spayed and neutered their animals and provided a loving, responsible home, we would happily be out of a job.”