The number of pets being turned over to shelters or abandoned across Hawai'i is rising as the economy takes its toll on their owners.

A check of the nearly 30 no-kill shelters around the state shows that many are full and continually receive requests to accept new animals.

"It's the economy. If you can't feed yourself or your family, how can you feed your pets," said Lynnette Fluaitt, director of operations at Hawai'i Island Humane Society on the Big Island.

"People are moving away or into smaller places and can't keep their pets. The bulk of our animals are strays or formerly adopted animals that people are abandoning," Fluaitt said.

Shelters report they are also searching for new sources of revenue to keep up with the increase in returned pets.

The Hawaii Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter in Hawai'i Kai, said it used to get by with a fundraiser every quarter; now it has to do one every six weeks. Gina Lay, president of the sanctuary, said it is at capacity with about 300 animals.

Lay said four sickly kittens were found abandoned in Kawai Nui Marsh in Kailua. "The pets were microchipped and when we called the owners, they refused to take the cats back," said Lay.

On the Big Island, a construction worker turned over nine dogs to a shelter recently, saying he had to put them up for adoption because he couldn't afford to feed them anymore.

More animals than ever before are being housed at the three shelters operated by the Hawai'i Island Humane Society, said Fluaitt. The shelters, in Kea'au, Kona and Waimea, usually have about 1,150 animals, but now have more than 1,400.

"We do have an increase in dumped dogs," said Kale Lyman of the Hawai'i Dog Foundation, a nonprofit, no-kill dog shelter that works through foster homes on O'ahu. "We see a lot of people trying to re-home their dogs."

People who tend to cat colonies say they, too, sometimes find someone's pet now trying to get a bite of kibble at the communal feeding tray. Jennifer Kishimori of Cat Friends, a nonprofit shelter, said it's easy to spot an animal who was formerly a pet. They don't know how to get along in the cat colony.

"We're noticing friendly cats being introduced to cat colonies. The economy has affected pet ownership," Kishimori said. "I see a lot of e-mails and get calls from people asking about how to give away their cat, but many shelters are full."

Bucking the trend, the Hawaiian Humane Society hasn't seen an increase in its numbers. It reports a 21 percent drop in the number of animals surrendered in the first six months of the year, compared with the same period last year, said Kawehi Yim, Humane Society spokeswoman.

That decline, some say, is because the group charges a $25 fee for surrendering animals and $100 to put your pet up for consignment, and other shelters don't.

Lay said she hopes pet owners understand the responsibility they take on and find a way to care for their pet even when money is tight.

"We need a shift in attitude," Lay said. "Pets need to be viewed as family members and just because things are difficult doesn't mean that you can leave them behind. Pets don't know how to fend for themselves. They depend upon the humans in their family."

Rather than work out solutions separately, Lay said, a collection of animal shelters have banded together to form the Aloha Animal Alliance. They plan to lobby lawmakers next year to change laws governing renters' rights to keep pets.

At the Hawai'i Dog Foundation, Lyman said every day she's preaching that people need to be smart about finding the right home for their pets. Screening needs to be done before the animals are placed in a new home, Lyman said.

"People don't understand what it takes to be a serious, lifetime dog owner," Lyman said. "People re-home the dog without checking the new home. We try to help with the cost of dog food and the screening. It is very sad what humans can do to a helpless being that wants nothing more than food, water, safety and a friend."