The Oswego County Humane Society was founded in 2000 to help meet the need for animal services in Oswego County. We believe that shelters are a symptom of the problem of animal homelessness as much as a solution. Rather than focusing our efforts solely on sheltering animals that have become homeless, we devote a large portion of our resources to mitigating the factors that lead to animal surrenders. Animals become homeless due to changes in owner circumstances, animal health and behavioral issues, and landlord problems. We provide spay/neuter services to low-income cat owners, as well as to feral cat colony caretakers and barn cats. This helps reduce over-population of the county and improves the health of individual pets, as well as minimizing the behaviors that can lead to surrender. Through our donation-based food pantry, we also provide food and litter to low-income owners to help bridge the gap between finances and pet care. Finally, for owners who simply cannot keep their animals, we take animals on a limited-basis through our local network of devoted animal fosters. When we can’t help, we connect owners to other organizations, which might be able to make a difference in their situation.