Arthur, a precocious fifteen-week old kitten, is currently available for adoption through the Athens County Humane Society.
Arthur, a precocious fifteen-week old kitten, is currently available for adoption through the Athens County Humane Society.
Arthur, a precocious fifteen-week old kitten, is currently available for adoption through the Athens County Humane Society.
Arthur, a precocious fifteen-week old kitten, is currently available for adoption through the Athens County Humane Society.
In accordance with Adopt-A-Cat Month this June, The Athens Messenger would like to spotlight the partnership between the Athens County Humane Society and PetSmart, which strives to give area shelter cats a second chance at finding their new forever home.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) approximately 6.3 million domesticated house pets end up in animal shelters in the U.S. nationwide each year.
Of that number, 3.2 million of these companion animals are cats.
Locally, the Athens County Humane Society and PetSmart hope to lower the number of cats needing a good home in this area.
For the past 45 years, the goal of Adopt-A-Cat Month has been to motivate people looking for a feline addition to their family to consider adopting a shelter cat-as opposed to buying one from a breeder.
One of the people leading the charge to help educate people about the benefits -and realities — of adopting shelter cats is local PetSmart employee/adoption ambassador, Echo Thorpe.
In addition to volunteering with the Athens County Humane Society, Thorpe helps coordinate potential cat adoptions through her job at PetSmart.
She detailed how, when a PetSmart store comes into an area, they immediately seek out and form partnerships with local shelters and assist them in creating pet adoption events. She added, “The stores also make spaces available so that customers can observe shelter cats-all of which can sometimes lead to a meet-and-greet session.
These services are made available through PetSmart Charities. To date, PetSmart Charities has been able to help find homes for over 10 million pets.
Thorpe recalled that, “As of right now, there are probably 60-70 cats in Athens county that desperately need a home.”
One of those cats is Arthur, a fifteen-week old precocious kitten who can be visited by stopping by the local PetSmart store located at 743 East State Street.
Thorpe noted that the cat adoption process always begins by having the applicants fill out the online application that’s available by visiting the Athens County Humane Society’s homepage.
Next, the application itself requires applicants to disclose specific information like why they want to adopt a cat, if they are home owners or renters, if their landlord will permit pets, how they plan to pay for the care of the cat and more importantly, if they have other pets in their home.
Thorpe explained, “Anytime a cat gets adopted into a new home they’re bound to feel some level of anxiety. But, having other pets in the home can sometimes make the situation worse — especially if those other pets are dogs who might not get along with cats.”
She specified that “Some breeds of dogs-like Dachshunds — who were born with hunting instincts can be especially rough on cats.”
Thorpe also suggests that new cat owners consider adopting cats in pairs. Her years of experience working with rescue/shelter cats has taught her that “they adjust to a new home better when they have another cat to keep them company.”
Also, Thorpe feels it’s important to find out how potential cat owners feel about declawing felines. She relayed that, “Studies out there have proven that there are physical and emotional consequences to declawing cats that many people don’t consider — or even know about.”
The website https://anicira.org. reports that, in addition to trauma caused by the declawing procedure itself, other negative side effects can range from nerve damage and bone spurs to lameness and back pain.
If all goes well with the application process, applicants will be charged a fee of $100. This fee covers the following services: spay/neuter, rabies and FVRCP vaccines, FeIV/FIV test, and flea/deworming treatment.
Thorpe added, “New fur baby parents will also get a coupon book that will save them money on essentials like cat food.”
However, as with any pet adoption there’s always the chance that things might not work out between a cat and their new owner. In this instance, Thorpe recommends that new fur baby parents give the kitten/cat about two months to adjust to their new home before they decide to surrender them.
At this point, if the owner still decides to give up the cat, then Thorpe highly recommends that they return the cat to the shelter. She explained that, “This way the cat will be back somewhere that they’re familiar with and be around people they already know.”
Lastly, Thorpe wants people to know that the ACHS is also in need of foster homes for cats. This would involve taking a kitten/cat into your home and caring for them on a temporary basis-for usually one to two months-until they’re ready for placement.
During this time period, the Athens County Humane Society will provide pet foster parents with cat food, a litter pan and litter and cover any medical care the cat might need.
She shared that, “This is a great way for anyone to learn more about the realities of having a cat. And, many times people who start out fostering cats end up bonding with them and adopting them.”
To find out more about adopting or fostering a shelter cat visit the Athens County Humane Society’s homepage at https://www.athenshumane.org.
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