Van Luchene said the shelter has experienced a “huge” influx of feral cats recently, and its cat population cannot afford to grow.

Many dogs are available for adoption as well.

“You name it, we have it,” Van Luchene said of the animals. “We have some cute ones.”

“Right now, we’re trying real hard to get them all homes for Christmas,” Van Luchene said. “We have lots of special animals back there. They just need love, and they have lots of love to give.”

The shelter is also holding its annual ornament sale through Jan. 3 to benefit homeless animals.

Purchasing an ornament for $60 enables the shelter to continue to save lives by transporting dogs from the shelter, where there is heavy over-population, to near-empty partner shelters in northern states that have legislation to control their pet populations including spay and neuter and enforcement of leash laws.

Go online and purchase an ornament at Shelbyhumane.org/shelter-partners.php or at Whole Foods Market in Cahaba Village or Hollywood Feed stores (Lee Branch and Cahaba Village locations), Roverchase, Pampered Pet Resort, Patton Chapel Animal Clinic, Oak View Animal Hospital and Valleydale Animal Clinic.

Sponsorships for a Shelter Partners transport are available for $1,200.

Sponsorships will help cover the costs of preparing dogs for transport including boarding, medical care and spay and neuter surgery.

“We do have a lot of needs, and they all boil down to finances,” Van Luchene said. “This time of year, I hope when people are making charitable contributions, I hope people will think of us. We have a budget, and we need every dime of that and then some to take care of animals.”

Donations to the Shelby Humane Society are tax-deductible.

The Shelby Humane Society will be closed Christmas Day and will close early on New Year’s Day.

“It truly is an agency that affects all county residents,” Lacey Bacchus with the shelter’s auxiliary group, Best Friends of Shelby Humane, said. “It’s nice to have them see the hard work that’s going on here.”

The next Best Friends of Shelby Humane meeting will be held Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. at Newk’s Eatery in Riverchase.