Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Cats Galore!


In the week since opening our DPVHS Adoption & Education Center at 171 Union Street in Springfield, we have been inundated with cats and kittens. Our Leverett Adoption Center is overwhelmed, as well.

We need your help now more than ever.

Adult cats--cats 6 months or older--are coming in at 10 times the rate they are being adopted. Simple math will show you that, eventually, there will be no space left inside the adoption centers. We are doing everything we can to juggle cats and space:

*We are admitting all new cats by appointment. This helps us save lives by managing resources--including space and staff--better. We are grateful for the community members who have embraced this system and willingly made appointments for the animals they cannot keep.

*We are helping some of our shy adult cats adjust to the bustling adoption center environment by letting them spend their first few days in "time out" rooms. Some of these cats are even hanging out in administrative staff offices.

*We are making all adult cats at both DPVHS adoption centers members of the Lonely Hearts Club, effective immediately. This means that any cat 6 months or older may be adopted for half the regular adult cat adoption fee of $120. The adoption fee still includes sterilization surgery, microchipping, vaccinations, and important blood tests.

If you have room in your house for one more cat, please come to our Leverett or Springfield adoption centers and take a chance on love!

2 comments:

  1. Hello:

    First of all, thank you for all the work you do for animals. I'm saddened to read that there are still more cats arriving at the shelter than those being adopted. I wonder if people are aware of this...

    I found your blog through the DPVHS website.
    I'm looking for tips because I've just found a couple of kittens (eyes closed, dry umbilical cord) and I'm wondering what's the best thing to do if the mother does not come back for them. One of them had crawled out from under the bush where the other one is and was meowing loudly. Any suggestions?

    Thank you.

    Maria

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  2. Thank you, Maria, for helping those little kittens!

    Sounds like talking to one of our adoption center staff would be the best way to get help and advice for the kittens. You can reach them at info@dpvhs.org or by calling one of our adoption centers (we open at noon on Tuesday) at 413-548-9898 (Leverett) or 413-781-4000 (Springfield).

    In the meantime, keep an eye out for the mom cat. She may have gone out to look for food and will be returning soon. If the kittens continue to vocalize, you may have orphans on your hand. We can give you advice about helping raise them if you contact one of the adoption centers.

    Best,
    Leslie

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