Barb's Precious Rescue in Palatine sees uptick in cats abandoned amid immigration crackdowns
An animal rescue shelter in Palatine, Illinois, is working to find forever homes for cats left behind by their owners amid recent immigration crackdowns.
Barb Weber, the owner of Barb's Precious Rescue in Palatine, said she has seen an uptick in abandoned pets due to immigration raids and self-deportations. She said normally the majority of cats are relinquished because someone dies, but that's no longer the case.
"But now it's more of, I need to leave in a week, I need to self-deport, or leave the country," she said. "There's multiple reasons, but it is a situation where they still love their cats, but they have to leave them behind. We actually still have contact with some. They'll actually ask, 'How's my cat doing?' and we send pictres."
Weber also said homelessness has been another big issue, with some owners forced to give up their pet after facing eviction. She said her shelter recently saw a case in which an eviction resulted in 11 cats being left behind. Their team jumped into action to care for them.
The cats are now being readied to be fostered and then adopted into new forever homes. She said her shelter is at capacity, and turning away one to three cats daily.
Anyone interested in cat adoption can visit Barb's Precious Rescue's website.