Longtime cat rescuer Mary Wawrytk founded the Cat Crossing shelter in 2012 to rescue stray and feral cats living in the city’s Tremont neighborhood and the Flats district along the Cuyahoga River. Unfortunately, she rescued so many cats that the shelter quickly ran out of space.

Other animal shelters have had to rescue the cats that were suffering from respiratory illnesses due to overcrowded conditions. The lesson is simple. It’s fine to rescue cats, but make sure you can care for them before you take them in. After all, it does the cats no good if you save them from the streets only to shove them into overcrowded and unsanitary conditions where they might not have enough food and water.

To read about a cat shelter hoarding cats, click here.