By meadowlakeNOW

MLDHS waiving adoption fees on adult cats

Jul 22, 2017 | 9:29 AM

In an effort to help more felines find their forever homes, the Meadow Lake and District Humane Society (MLDHS) is waiving the adopting fees for adult cats for a period of time.

To help get the word out, the organization is hosting an open house Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., allowing the public can interact with the animals firsthand and see how the facility runs.

“We’ve experienced an influx of cats and kittens in the shelter this spring and summer, so we’re currently over capacity,” said Jillian Doucet, the MLDHS president. “We currently have about 40 cats that are available for adoption, and we can comfortably house 25.”

Periodically, MLDHS will run these types of events to help decrease their pet population, either by reducing or eliminating the cost of their adoption fee, which is normally $80 for cats. It is a low-kill shelter, meaning dogs and cats are only euthanized if they are incurably ill or aggressive and pose a danger to the public.

“Rather than stay full and not be able to help any other cats, we’re just going to waive the adoption fee in hopes of clearing out the shelter,” she said. “Any cats adopted during this promotion are spayed and neutered, vaccinated and dewormed, which is usually worth $100 or more alone.”

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Doucet said the biggest step towards minimizing cat overpopulation is ensuring the animals get fixed.

“There have been surveys from the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies about cat populations and how each human society and SPCA is dealing with it,” Doucet said. “Essentially, the solution is for owners to be responsible and spay and neuter, because one cat can have a litter, then those cats can have litters, then it’s a slippery slope.”

As the shelter is run completely by volunteers, the organization does not have regular business hours.

“Having an open house lets people come into the shelter, see where these animals stay, how we operate,” Doucet said. “It is also a good reminder that we’re limited in our space, resources and manpower. A lot of work goes into making sure these animals have a safe place to stay until they find their new homes. We’re in the business of saving lives and finding loving homes for the animals in our care.”

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath