By Wendy Erlien - Sun Newspapers
Two new programs at the Golden Valley-based Animal Humane Society this summer have resulted in new homes for hundreds of cats.
"During the summer months, the Animal Humane Society sees an average of 70 cats a day brought into our five sites. On average, that's 500 cats a week and 2,000 a month," Animal Humane Society Director of Customer Service Cindy Johnson said. "We see overwhelming numbers of cats and kittens left with us. And, we need to get these felines into new homes as quickly as possible."
This influx of kittens between May and September each year prompted the creation of two new programs - Mission Meow and Double the Love. The programs were designed to address a problem experienced by many animal welfare organizations that don't have room to accommodate the thousands of cats that flood their facilities each summer.
"There is a whole different mindset when it comes to cats," Johnson said. "There is a belief that cats should be allowed to roam and many aren't sterilized. Our spay/neuter messages don't seem to hit home with some cat owners."
Last year, Animal Humane Society took in nearly 22,000 felines. It started the Mission Meow program last summer to open up space at its facilities and introduced the Double the Love program this summer to find more cats new homes.
Mission Meow
When "kitten season" began in May, Mission Meow issued a request for help to the public to provide a foster home for an adult cat.
The response has been overwhelming.
"When kittens start coming in the door - they are cute, fun and little. Some people want to bring a little one into their family to grow up with their children. So, kittens tend to go into homes quite quickly," Media Relations Associate Tracie Jacobson said. "Adult cats tend to sit on the adoption floor and wait. And wait. And wait. Their stay becomes extended because of the kittens."
To counteract the stress an extended stay at the Animal Humane Society can put on cats, Mission Meow was formed.
"People come in, fill out an application and go through some training. If they qualify, they get to take a cat home for six months," Jacobson said. "Some of the older cats are off of our adoption floor while the kittens are getting adopted. They come back in the fall when the kittens are gone and have a better chance of being adopted."
Animal Humane Society provides all cat food and supplies during the foster period. The public's cost to foster an adult cat is zero and each cat is vaccinated, de-wormed, spayed/neutered and microchipped prior to joining their temporary family.
With Mission Meow ending for the year, Jacobson said it been a success - with more than 100 adult cats finding a foster home. Some foster families have decided to permanently adopt their cat, while the rest will be coming back into the shelters in the next few months.
"That isn't our goal of the program, but it has been a nice perk for the cats" she said.
"People understand why we are putting these programs in place," Jacobson said. "We are very fortunate at the Animal Humane Society - people support us, they go above and beyond. When we put the call out saying that it is that time of year again, the response was overwhelming. It is incredible the way community has supported us - it is fantastic."
Double the Love
The Double the Love program is new this year for the Animal Humane Society. According to Jacobson, it has been one of the most successful cat promotions yet and will come to a close Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The concept behind Double the Love is simple. If you adopt one cat, the adoption fee is waived for the second. The first cat has to be a year or older, while the second cat can be any age.
Plymouth resident Donna Wills and her son, Eugene, took advantage of the program to provide a home for 2-year-old Boo and her 10-week-old kitten, Romeo. After hearing about the program on the radio, Wills sought out a mother and her kitten to adopt - finding both fairly quickly.
"It has been a wonderful experience," she said. "I'm so happy with the cats, I can't describe it - we are one big, happy family."
"The success rate has been incredible," Jacobson said. "We have already adopted out about 200 more cats this year than we did last year through the program. People that are coming into the facilities already know that they want a cat, so, why not take a second one home?"
After the program is done at the end of September, it will be evaluated to determine whether it will continue next summer.
The Animal Humane Society has locations in Golden Valley, Buffalo, Coon Rapids, St. Paul and Woodbury. For more information on adopting a cat or Mission Meow and Double the Love programs, visit www.animalhumanesociety.org.
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Good luck to your upcoming and future mission. A lot more kittens need you. Kudos!
infoexpertise 1 month ago
You are cute, like the kittens. I would adopt you, in a heartbeat if you were homeless. Bless you and your effort for the kitties. Carry on, carry on.
sainttuber 1 year ago