Houlton’s animal shelter’s cat population reaches 180
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer RuthWHO COULD SAY NO? —Little Makaila Morrill and her mother Shelley Morrill attended the Houlton Humane Society’s adopt-a-thon and fund-raiser on Saturday, July 12 in front of the Wal-Mart in Houlton. Makaila and her mom put the kitty on top on reserve while the two went home to consult with dad. The Monticello family recently lost their pet cat after an attack from a local pit bull.
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Houlton’s animal shelter is bursting at the seams and staff and members of the Houlton Humane Society are urging people to step up and help an animal find a home.
The shelter is currently home to more than 180 cats — a burden that has shelter officials taking drastic measures in attracting folks in to make an adoption.
On Saturday, July 12, the shelter teamed up with Schwans and Wal-Mart for a fund-raiser adopt-a-thon. Donations of cat litter and cash were coming in, however, the adoption of kitties were low.
“We’re doing OK donation-wise, but we’ve still got 180 cats to my knowledge,” said Holly Henderson. “Right now the adoption fee is being waived and that was based on a memorial donation from Morgan Cowett’s family. There are at least 40 cats that have the adoption fees waived on them and I’m not sure how many cats have gone out.
“We are also cutting the adoption fee down to $25, so we’re trying to move them as best as we can and figuring out different angles to get people’s attention,” she said.
The multi-function fund-raiser received donations from a portion of sales made from Schwans and numerous donations of cat litter were dropped off in front of Wal-Mart. Henderson said the need is so great, but their commitment is greater.
“A lot of animal shelters are going through the same thing,” she explained. “A lot of people are abandoning their animals because of the fact that there are financial issues all the way around. We’re not even taking owner-surrendered animals out there. We have no place to put them.
“If an animal control officer shows up with a stray, we have no choice,” she said. “We contract with 26 towns. If anybody is missing a cat, they should come up to the shelter and take a look because these cats that we’ve got out there belonged to somebody at some point in time. There are some really beautiful animals out there.”
And when there are 180 indoor cats, that adds up to a lot of cat litter. Litter is cheap, but in a matter of a couple of days, it becomes costly.
“We go through a pallet of litter every two weeks and on that pallet are 40 bags and each bag is 25 pounds, so we go through about a ton every two weeks,” said Henderson.
Luckily, Henderson said businesses continue to be supportive and that’s what keeps the organization afloat.
“We have a campaign where we send out information to everyone that we’re financially strapped,” she said. “Once they know the information is out there, they turn around and give us a hand. Businesses support us.
“Town and Country supports us with their ‘Wrap It Up’ campaign that they do; Hollywood Pet Salon is a huge help for us because it’s a network for us as far as adopting animals for us; and Wal-Mart supports us several different times throughout the year.”
For more information on how to help, or to adopt a pet, contact the shelter at 532-2862.
