Raining cats and more cats
Article by Kathy Dunker; photos from the CCS website
Are you an animal person? More specifically, are you a cat person? There are many lovable kitties who are sadly homeless, just waiting for a new family to come along and call them their own. Cat Care Society (CCS) in Lakewood is one such shelter, and it is where Castle Pines resident and devout cat lover Kyle Herbertson has been volunteering for the past ten years. She helps her feline friends find new homes.
One of many shelters and rescues in the Denver metro area, CCS is a shelter for homeless, injured and abused cats. CCS provides a temporary refuge for up to 45 adult cats until an appropriate and permanent home can be found. The cats are provided with veterinary care, good food, and plenty of loving human interaction. Potential adopters are carefully screened, and special effort is made to match the adopter with just the right feline for their family.
Herbertson notes that while there are many good cat shelters, there are also those that keep cats in 2′ x 2′ cages all day, are overcrowded, or are poorly managed. In addition, many shelters euthanize cats when there is not room for them. In Colorado alone, 30,000 cats were euthanized in shelters last year. Says Herbertson, “And yet the breeding continues. We need to get to zero euthanized.”
A cat or kitten can be adopted through CCS for a $95 fee (with discounted fees of $65 for seniors), which includes testing for Feline Leukemia, Feline AIDS, the spay or neuter procedure, distemper/upper respiratory vaccine, a micro chip, a collar with tag, and even a cardboard carrier. “What I love most about CCS is that the cats get space to move and roam, clean litter boxes, and are fed canned food twice daily. Some of the cats can even go out on a balcony and get fresh air,” Herbertson commented.
With spring on the way, the beginning of kitten season will hit later this month. Because of the present overpopulation, it is best to spay and neuter all breeding cats prior to this time to reduce the number of kittens born. If you are in the market for a new furry friend, consider adopting a cat or kitten through a shelter or rescue.
To find out more about adopting a cat through CCS or ways that you can volunteer, visit their website at www.catcaresociety.org.
Herbertson (front center) pictured with a group of volunteers who devote many hours to help at Cat Care Society.
