DES MOINES -- Iowans forced to flee their homes during last month's widespread flooding have in some cases been faced with another gut-wrenching situation -- having to give up their pets.

That has taken a toll on Iowa animal shelters that have been inundated with hundreds of animals whose owners were displaced from their homes and have nowhere to keep them.

Shelter officials across the state are ramping up their promotion efforts in the hope more animals will be adopted.

The shelter in Cedar Rapids took on 7 feet of water during last month's floods, and animals have moved temporarily to facilities at Kirkwood Community College.

Around 450 displaced animals currently are there, many waiting for their owners to make housing arrangements.

"People still are very hopeful that their situation will allow them to go back to something that resembles the life they had before the 11th of June 2008," said Anne Duffy, professor and coordinator of animal health technology at Kirkwood.

But Duffy said they don't have space forever. The shelter will have to relocate by the end of July.

Staff shortages have stalled the number of adoptions they can complete. But the Cedar Rapids shelter had a cats-only adoption day Saturday, and close to 70 cats, nearly every available and adoptable cat, left the shelter for a new home.

"People were lined up, up and down the sidewalk and all over," Duffy said.

Kristy Gardner, co-director of the Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo, said they've received a number of animals that people had given up when they came to the realization they won't be back in their flood-damaged homes for a long time.

They've had pet owners from the Cedar Rapids area bringing their pets to the Waterloo shelter, hoping they'll have a better chance of being adopted there.

The extra animals have taxed their resources.

"We go on a day-to-day basis, to be quite honest with you," Gardner said. "You know, we do not turn anybody away."

They've seen double the number of stray animals they typically see and quadruple the number of kittens.

She said the community has stepped forward with extra donations of food, bedding, toys and other supplies such as pet carriers and cat litter.

Some of those donations have gone to families who have been able to keep their pets, but lost all their supplies due to flooding.

The agency also has been advertising to encourage adoptions and is running a special on cat and kitten adoptions, lowering the price to $35 through July.

"The people who are out there who are possibly thinking about getting a pet, we strongly encourage them to look at their local shelters, just because there are a lot of animals available right now that are needing those homes and that second chance," Gardner said.

Tracy Hamand, shelter manager for the Humane Society of North Iowa in Mason City, said they have been overcrowded beyond capacity, mostly with cats whose owners saw their homes condemned due to flooding.

The organization took care of 51 pets because of flooding there. But some owners never returned to claim their pets after the organization opened a temporary shelter, the first tiwme it had done that.

They're also trying to help several families keep their pets or find new homes for them so they don't have to come in to the shelter.

She estimates she currently has 50 cats at the shelter, and another 15 cats to place.

For those who have been considering adopting a cat, Hamand has a message.

"Now would be a great time," she said.

Contact Charlotte Eby at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.