Shelters are again experiencing too many animals and not enough adopters. At HART, there are about 130 cats at the shelter, around 50 kittens in foster care, and close to 20 adult cats in foster care. Overall, HART is caring for over 200 cats right now. Unfortunately this is too many. Adoptions and donations are down, but vet bills are high. HART is facing having to, once again, close its doors to taking any more animals until the population reduces.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
All our lovely cats need their forever home. If you are interested in adopting a cat, please check out our kitties on the website HARTofME or come by during open house on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Just as we need adopters, we need donations! Any donation you can make will help greatly. I've got an easy to use donation link right on this blog!
I'm not going to let you go without seeing cats of course. HART has a brand new camera setup in one of the rooms so you can see the cats, live! It even has night vision so you can see the activity at night. Please click here to view the camera. The login is hart (username) hart (password.) Please note: the Opera browser is not compatible. I've also heard reports that the video does not refresh automatically on iPads.
Please, enjoy seeing the kitties, make a donation if you can, spread the word, and help get our kitties adopted!
I maintain this blog independently of HART. My views and opinions expressed here are my own; I do not speak for the shelter.
If any kind viewer knows how I can embed the live video, I would love to hear from you.
One of the best things about being a volunteer at HART is that you get to play with incredibly cute cats and kittens. Today was one of those super adorable days.
If you've never been to HART (which is probably most people reading this) we have cats running around loose everywhere. There is a storage/laundry room off the lobby that several senior kitties call their home. (The lobby and the storage/laundry room that is.) These cats usually are on medications, but they're not all seniors. One such kitty is Sampson, a 6-7mo. old kitten who has been having bowel issues, URI, and I'm not even sure what else. He is so adorable, and is totally my snuggle buddy on Saturdays.
(These were taken in 5/19/2012. Sampson was not feeling well, and not impressed with having his picture taken.)
Sampson and I had our usual playtime, until he was completely tuckered out, but then, a new playmate arrived! Tiny little Fancy didn't get adopted during today's tabling event, so she came to hang out at the shelter until her foster mom was ready to go home. Sampson was delighted to have another kitten to play with, but Fancy wanted nothing to do with him. Instead, she kept running into the storage/laundry room where the much bigger, older cats were hanging out. They would try to sniff her, and she would puff up like a miniture halloween cat. It was so cute.
What does this do?
One of the older cats in particular took an immediate shine to her. His name is Lucky, a 16 yr old black cat. The first time she ran into the storage/laundry room, he jumped down from his nap on the shelf and went over and sniffed her. She sniffed back, did her halloween cat impression, and ran off out of the room. Lucky followed after her. He followed her all around the lobby, and into the conference room. What made it wicked adorable though, was if he lost sight of her, he would start crying like a mother cat would! At one point he was in the storage/laundry room crying for her, and she ran into the room, gave a little mew, he instantly stopped crying and then ran over to her. It was almost more cute than I could handle!
Fancy was full of energy and all over the place. Sampson never stopped trying to play with her though.
Eventually Fancy stopped to eat some food, clean herself, and then take a little nap, so I attempted to snap some pictures. Enjoy the cute, and ignore the blurriness.
It's been a while since I posted (shame on me!) so here are a couple of things to be aware of:
June is National Adopt a Shelter Cat month! I'm not sure who decides these things, but I'll go with it. Shelters all across the country are having promotions to celebrate, and HART is no different.
There is a low cost Spay/Neuter clinic for low-income households that has opened at Freeport Outlet.
I want to talk a little bit about sponsorship programs. Sponsorship programs are important to shelters because they help to provide a reliable influx of money into the shelter. While donations and adoption fees bring in more money than sponsorships do, they are unpredictable and can vary greatly from month to month. How the sponsorship money is used varies by shelter, but being able to count on a known amount coming in each month goes a long way to keeping the lights on and the animals fed.
HART, being a volunteer run shelter, uses the money it receives from the sponsorship program to pay for food, medicine, veterinary care and more for each cat sponsored. If you are interested in learning more about the sponsorship program, please contact HART.
Over the years I've met a lot of people who treat animal shelters like a store - they expect they can just walk in, pick out their custom pet and walk out the door with it in tow. This expectation is not from callousness, but from a lack of understanding of the adoption process. Listed below are some of the common misconceptions about adopting from a shelter*.
"I'm looking for (insert purebred cat breed here)" - Shelters occasionally get purebred cats brought in to them, but this tends to be more of an exception than a rule. Shelters are not breeders - the cats they have were trapped, rescued or surrendered to them by the community. This means the shelter cannot plan what types of cats they have, and they cannot arrange to get a particular breed of cat for you.
"I'm here to get kittens" - This is two-fold. Kittens are very popular, but shelters cannot control how many kittens they have at any given time. Many times there are more adopters than there are kittens, and often this leads to a waiting list. Kittens are also kept in foster homes, not in the shelter, so if you stop in unannounced, you are unlikely to see any kittens. If you are interested in getting kittens, it is best to submit your adoption application with the knowledge that you will likely be on a waiting list, but that the kitten adoption team will work with you to find the kittens that are right for you.
"Why do I need to fill out an application, can't I just take this cat?" - Shelters have adoption processes for several reasons, but primarily we want to make sure that you are a good home for the cat, and that the cat is a good match for your home. Unfortunately there are many people out there who are cruel to animals, and we do not want to send an animal into a home where they will be abused, or worse.
"I want to let the cat outside"** - Shelters that have indoor only policies on their adoptions do so for the welfare of the cat. Cats who are let outside have reduced life expectancies, higher medical costs, and can bring disease into your home. Living in a quiet area, or out in the woods can actually increase the odds of your cat becoming sick, or being attacked/killed by another animal.
"If you don't let me take this cat, I will just get one free elsewhere" - Although getting a cat from a neighbor, friend, family, or stranger might cost less than adopting one from a shelter initially, it can actually end up costing more. Shelter cats have been spayed/neutered, are up to date on vaccinations and are in good health. A cat that you get from someone else could potentially cost you $300 or more, depending on their health and if they are spayed/neutered. A significant portion of cats surrendered to shelters also come from people who got the cat from someone else - most commonly because the cat wasn't the right fit for their home.
Just as a personal example - when I was a kid we wanted to get a kitten. My mom knew someone with a barn cat that had kittens, and they said we could have one. We got the kitten, but our older cat would have nothing to do with her, and hissed every time the kitten was near. We had the kitten for a very short time, because as it turned out, the kitten had such a bad case of intestional worms that there was nothing the vet could do to save her.
The staff at the shelter is there to care for the cats, but also to get them adopted to the right homes. If you have questions about the adoption process, please, ask!
*This is written based on my experience at HART, I cannot speak for all shelters. ** Not all shelters have an indoor only policy.
Every January 1st, millions of people make New Year's resolutions, the most common of which include losing weight, eating healthier and getting fit. While these goals are admirable, let's not forget about kitty!
Cats need exercise just as we do, and an overweight kitty can lead to the same health risks as it can in people:
Now, just because your kitty weighs 14 lbs or more doesn't mean he/she is overweight - some kitties are just big. How to tell if your kitty is overweight:
If you have any doubt, consult with your veterinarian.
If you have an overweight kitty, make it one of your New Year's resolutions to get kitty fit again! There is a wonderful pdf file here with tips for getting your precious kitty to lose weight. It's very basic really:
exercise
diet change
portion control
Let's all get in shape this New Year together :)
(Please consult with your veterinarian before making any changes to your cat's diet.)
It's the holiday season, when everywhere you turn everyone is wanting your money. It's also the season of giving, and in that spirit, HART has a new promotion for December:
For every regular can of cat food that you bring to the shelter, you will receive $1 off the adoption fee of a cat! How is that for saving money :)
Also, we have a very generous anonymous donor who is going to match every donation HART receives before December 31st, up to $10,000!
Please pass the word along to all your friends and family. Happy Holidays everyone!
HART has an indoor only policy with their cats, and sometimes people ask why. Below are 5 reasons why cats should be kept indoors:
1. Humans. People can have a huge impact on an animal's life. A good samaritan may think your cat is a stray or lost, and take the cat home or to a shelter. Cats crossing roads can be hit by cars, and cars swerving to avoid a cat can lead to fatal car accidents. There are also (unfortunately) many people out there who are cruel to animals and could get their hands on your cat for any number of reasons, including to use as bait for training fighting dogs.
2. Animals. Living in Maine especially, there are a lot of animals out there that could potentially kill your cat, including other cats. If you live in a city, don't think you're exempt from these animals being around. Ever see a moose in Portland? I have. Fishers, coyotes, foxes, lynxes, bobcats, birds of prey, and dogs are just some of the animals that would think your cat is a tasty meal.
3. Disease. Even with vaccinations, cats can pick up a variety of diseases including rabies, feline leukemia, FIV, and cytauxzoonosis. They can pick up fleas and ticks and bring them into your home. If they get into a fight they could receive injuries resulting in the need for costly medical care.
4. Domestication. There is a reason why your cat is a "domestic ____ hair." Your cat, despite its wild cat instincts, has been bred to live with and be cared for by people. A cat that has been indoors all its life and is suddenly left outdoors has a poor chance of survival unless found by a good samaritan. Letting a cat outside when it is young to "get used" to being outdoors is not any better - young cats have not fully developed their skills and are even better prey for other animals and diseases. If you have let your cat outside before you have probably noticed that the birds and small mammals it kills get brought to you - not eaten. A domestic cat has the wild cat instinct to go after and kill the small animals, but its domestic instinct is to bring its kill to you for a reward. This is not survival behavior, and can seriously impact the food chain in your area.
5. Life expectancy. An indoor cat can live 12 - 18 years (many times even longer than that!), but an outdoor cat typically only lives 4 - 5 years. Wouldn't you rather have 18 wonderful years with your pet?
