The Kool LA Kats

Anyone who read my old blog might remember that last summer, the LA Animal Shelter tried a different tack with its kitties Important Cat News For a short time there will be no adoption fees for cats. Instead, cats may be adopted with a minimum donation of $25. Our cats are spayed and neutered and have had their needles. We are doing this in order to free up more cat spaces at the shelter so that we can help deal with the overpopulation of homeless cats in Cumberland County.
I have been pleased to see them continuing with this bit that I refer to on the site as the Kool LA Kats ... it certainly doesn't mean that they've put their cats on sale because adopters still have to apply and meet screening criteria. Its a great idea for several reasons:

• all adoption incentives get attention and boost all pet adoptions for a group or shelter,
• everyone of their adoptables are altered and so will not add to the cat overpopulation problem,
• it is the screening process, not the fee, that weeds out the folks who can't or won't properly care for a pet,
• every cat that gets adopted out becomes a little 'word of mouth' ambassador that in turn encourages more adopters.
• it undercuts the 'competition' of the free kitten and could encourage some people to get their own cat fixed if homes aren't so easy to find and they face harder options as a result, and of course, last but definitely not least,
• every cat that they can adopt out represents one more that they will have room to save.

These are hard times for everyone, including rescue groups. Its a hard sell to convince folks to 'let go of the rope' and drop adoption fees. After all, that's been the traditional way to recover at least part of the rescue costs.

But in hard times like these, groups can't afford not to let go of the rope. Nothing impresses the animal loving public like results. Saving a good pet is only the first half of the equation. The opera's not over until the Forever Home is found.

No matter how big the shelter, no matter how many fosters there are - eventually it fills up until there is no more room at the inn if the pets do not get adopted. Even higher adoption fees get swallowed up by long term sheltering costs.

One of the biggest arguments that is used against No Kill is the 'stockpiling' of pets. And before the keyboards catch on fire, I would never suggest killing a healthy adoptable pet. Instead, I'm suggesting that revisiting adoption fees is one way to improve the turnaround so that more lives could be save. Otherwise, its a just a lottery where lives are saved by good luck instead of good management.