The Austin Humane Society has 150 cats and kittens in its care. That is twice as many as they are equipped to take care of. That is why the Austin Humane Society is waiving the typical $85 fee to adopt a kitten or young cat this Saturday.
The Humane Society began accepting 70 kittens from four area shelters, including the Williamson County Regional Shelter, the Bulverde Area Humane Society, and the Woodville Humane Society.
Austin Humane Society Public Relations Director Lisa Starr says, “Other shelters that reached out to us were in smaller communities in the area that have lower adoption rates, and so they reached out to us. They really wanted to save their lives and as you can see these cats are so adorable, and deserving.”
The largest influx comes from Austin’s Town Lake Animal Center, which has seen a 40 percent increase in the intake of cats and kittens, which equals 1,147 more felines, from the spring and summer months last year.
Town Lake Animal Center's Operations Manager Felip Gecic says he believes the intake increase is partly because people mistakenly believe that the city shelter is no-kill.
“Moratorium means that we do not euthanize animals if we have available space,” Gecic says. “With the busy season that starts at the beginning of spring, especially this year, when we see such a large increase, intake of animals, cats specifically, that means that we are pretty much out of space all the time.”
Gecic and Starr believe milder weather in the spring and early summer may have played a part in the local cat population increase. Gecic says that cooler temperatures may have more easily allowed feral cats and their litters to survive.
“I think that we might have seen a second wave of kitten season,” Starr says. And there could be a third. Starr says a mother cat can have up to three litters during the summer months.
Even though the city’s moratorium on animal euthanasia does not necessarily mean “no kill,” survival is the ultimate goal for both the Town Lake Animal Center and the Humane Society. Gecic says his center strives to keep at least 90 percent of the animals it takes in alive. That is why the Town Lake Animal Center sends so many cats and kittens to the Austin Humane Society, which is a “no kill” shelter.
The Austin Humane Society's "Feline Free Fur All" cat and kitten giveaway will be this Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m., at the shelter on the Highway 183 North access road near Georgian Drive. All adoption fees, will be waived, making the adoption free.
Both the Town Lake Animal Center and the Austin Humane Society always waive adoption fees for cats that are five years or older.
