TORRINGTON – Waggin’ Tails Shelter is struggling to contain a ringworm outbreak among its cats while facing severe volunteer shortages and capacity constraints.
The shelter operates with one full-time employee and relies heavily on volunteers to manage more than 250 dogs annually, according to information posted on the City of Torrington website. The facility now faces an additional burden: exhausted volunteers caring for cats infected with ringworm while managing the shelter’s other responsibilities.
“We are at capacity on cats and near capacity on dogs,” the shelter announced in a recent social media post. “We are short of volunteers to take care of the ones we are currently housing. Everyone is exhausted taking care of the cats with ringworm.”
Ringworm represents a significant drain on shelter resources including treatment costs and staff time while adding animal care days until adoption and contributing to crowding and disease spread, according to veterinary shelter medicine documentation.
The fungal infection is not fatal but requires intensive management. Clinical lesions typically appear within seven to 14 days after infection and hair loss along with scaling and crusting are the most common symptoms. Treatment involves weekly bathing to prevent spread and the use of specialized disinfectants.
“The extra precautions to be taken, the weekly bathing to try and prevent the spread,” the shelter’s post noted. “People have even suggested killing all the cats and start over. Ringworm is not fatal, just obnoxious.”
While Waggin’ Tails Shelter is municipally owned by the City of Torrington, the facility receives no funding from the county or other municipalities. The shelter depends on monetary donations and volunteer support to remain operational. The facility’s single full-time employee handles not just animal care but also responds to service calls and picks up strays within Torrington city limits while filling in for dispatch as needed.
The shelter is requesting donations of bleach and rescue disinfectant along with D-256 disinfectant and paper towels. Volunteers are also needed. Those interested in helping can call 307-532-5373.
Waggin’ Tails Shelter’s struggles reflect broader trends in animal welfare. Approximately 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues in 2024 with many shelters still having too many animals and not enough adoptions while facing staffing and veterinarian shortages, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
In the first half of 2025 an estimated 2.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues across the country marking a 4 percent decline compared to the same period in 2024, according to Shelter Animals Count data. However, the decline has not been sufficient to significantly reduce overcrowding as animals stay longer in shelters before being adopted.
Ringworm outbreaks have forced other shelters to halt cat intakes and, in some cases, have led to euthanasia when facilities cannot isolate and treat infected animals, as occurred at the Twin Falls Animal Shelter in Idaho in January.
Some organizations lack the resources and capacity to isolate pets with ringworm which can result in euthanasia to stop the spread to the rest of the shelter population, according to Seattle Humane Society, which has developed a foster-to-adopt program for infected cats.
Community members interested in adopting pets can view available animals on the Petfinder website. The shelter emphasizes it cannot be expected to handle all of the county’s animal welfare issues with its limited resources.
“We do the best we can with one full time person,” the shelter stated in its appeal for help.
Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at Waggin Tails Shelter, 436 E. 22nd Ave., Torrington.
