Crowded Animal Shelter Society giving away cats Saturday | Zanesville Times Recorder | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com
ZANESVILLE -- Cats and kittens will be given away for free this weekend at the Animal Shelter Society to help relieve some overcrowding.
Executive Director Larry Hostetler said the shelter is full with more than 200 cats and this time of the year tends to be slow for adoptions.
"We've done this twice before and were very successful," Hostetler said. "It comes down to boarding all the cats or giving them away. It's more feasible to give them away at this point."
The Animal Shelter had financial difficulty in 2011, forcing it to lay off its shelter manager to save money in June. The shelter operates on a $1 million budget for expenses each year. The money comes from adoption fees, clinic fees, private donations and revenue from Mass Bingo at the Bingo Hall on West Main Street.
At one point in 2011, the shelter had 250 cats and 125 dogs.
The shelter is a no-kill operation, so it strives to find homes for all the animals it brings in. The giveaway, which will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Newark Road shelter, will allow people to waive the normal $50 adoption fee for cats.
Most of the felines at the shelter are adults, Hostetler said. But there are some kittens.
All have been spayed or neutered, all have their vaccinations, been wormed, been given their FIV shot and have been checked by the veterinarian.
"You're not only getting a great deal if you want a cat, but you're getting a friend forever," Hostetler said.
Those who want to adopt a cat still will have to fill out the proper paperwork.
And if you rent, you will be required to bring a letter or lease from your landlord stating you are allowed to have pets.
"But we're pretty overwhelmed with the cat population," Hostetler said. "Last time, we had one of these, we gave away 79 cats, and the time prior, we gave 149 cats away."
Hostetler said he thinks this will be the last free cat day the shelter sponsors.
"We feel by doing this we are saving lives and money," Hostetler said. "Adoptions are really slow this time of year and we know a lot of people would like a pet but can't afford the adoption fees. This helps not only our cats out, but our patrons."
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