2 local groups promoting specials on cats, kittens

Felines have necessary vaccinations, microchips

A kitten awaits visitors in the kitten room at the the Toledo Area Humane Society in Maumee. The society and Planned Pethood have a large supply of felines for which they seek homes.

Today through Sunday, the groups will offer a cat and kitten special. Kittens will be $25 or two for $40, and adult cats are $15 or two for $25.

Adoptable cats and kittens from the Toledo Area Humane Society will be available at 1920 Indian Wood Circle. More cats and kittens included in this promotion will be available at their off-site locations in Petco in Bowling Green and Petsmart in Rossford. All cats and kittens adopted from both groups are spayed or neutered and have received their age-appropriate vaccines and a microchip.

Planned Pethood will be holding its adoption events at the Petsmart on Airport Highway today from 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m.

The humane society currently has 110 cats and kittens up for adoption and Planned Pethood has about 100.

Karen Latta, a volunteer who heads the cat adoption program for Planned Pethood, said the group has partnered with the humane society for several events this year. “We have had very successful lowered-cost promotions to find more homes, but the enormous cat and kitten overpopulation problem continues,” said Ms. Latta of Toledo.

Planned Pethood gets at least 100 calls a week from people who want to give up kittens, rehome adult cats, or have strays picked up. “Obviously, since we adopt out on average 16 to 30 kittens and cats a week, we cannot take in hundreds,” she said. “The other shelters in the area are in the same position. So my intake every week consists of a blend of strays, owner surrenders, and transfers from the humane society, which has consistently been over capacity.”

The group also is being bombarded with returning cats that have been adopted previously for reasons, including financial hardship, moving, having a baby, or being just too busy.

“This puts an additional strain on an already overwhelming situation,” Ms. Latta said. “We hope the lowered fees will encourage people to adopt.”

Potential adopters should give some thought ahead of time to whether they would prefer a cat or kitten and which would fit their lifestyle better, said Gary Willoughby, executive director of the Toledo Area Humane Society.

“Kittens are also much more active, so people should be ready for that activity level in their homes and provide toys, scratching posts, and be ready for their energy,” he said. “Adult cats can still be playful, live a long time, so even if you adopt one that is 4 or 5, you still have a long time to share with them. You know their full size and their personality is well defined, so you know what you are getting.”

The humane society took in slightly more kittens this year because the breeding season (which aligns with warm weather) was longer, he said.

Planned Pethood has taken in a higher-than-usual number of cats that are injured or were hit by cars, Ms. Latta said. Those cats often have high vet care costs because they are in need of amputations or removal of an eye. The group doesn’t shy away from hard-to-place cats, she said.

“We have long-term cats in our program such as a 15-year-old cat named Peyton,” Ms. Latta said. “She is toothless and sweet and we always remain optimistic that someone may open their homes to some of these cats.

"We also always have a lot of black cats and kittens who are almost always overlooked at adoption events," she said. "We always hope that potential adopters will choose by personality and not just the prettiest, although we think they are all beautiful.”

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @TanyaIrwin.