What a difference a year makes.

Heading into the holiday season in 2022, the Huntsville Animal Shelter on Triana Boulevard was overwhelmed with cats, so Animal Services put out a call for adoptions.

The dog population was pretty high as well.

Heading into December this year, things are a bit different. There were only 21 cats needing homes, while 51 dogs were available for adoptions.

“We finished up our busy cat season during 2023 and did really well,” Animal Services Director Karen Sheppard said. “We had a tremendous amount of adoptions here in the building. We had a tremendous amount of support with our foster homes raising moms and kittens and orphan kittens. And health-wise, we did really well.”