Influx of homeless cats, kittens leads Humane Society to offer deal on adoptions
Group sets sale to help alleviate shelter crowding
 

 

Two-for-one cat adoptions

 

  • Cost: $125 for two until overpopulation has eased

     

     

  • Where: Humane Society, 7095 W. Grand River Ave., Lansing

     

     

  • Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to

     

    4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

     

  • To view adoptable pets, visit www.cahs-lansing.org .

     

     

  • The mobile adoption vehicle's next appearance is Aug. 21 at the DeWitt Ox Roast.
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    By Aja Carmichael
    Lansing State Journal

    For the second summer in a row, the Capital Area Humane Society is having a two for one sale on cats and kittens.

    The high number of felines is causing the shelter either to euthanize incoming cats or turn away people wanting to give theirs up.

    "We're busting at the seams with cats," spokeswoman Carey Moreland said.

    President Stephen Heaven said reducing the number of felines in the shelter and finding homes for them is a yearly emergency.

    "Cats breed continuously when the weather is hot," Heaven said. "We start with an overpopulation as early as spring."

    More than 80 cats or kittens are available. Pet lovers can adopt a pair for $125. That includes vaccinations, spaying or neutering, heartworm and feline leukemia testing, and two months of pet health insurance - a total value of $300.

    In 2003, the Capital Area Humane Society took in about 3,700 cats and kittens; more than half were euthanized.

    Cats multiply much faster than dogs. A cat and her offspring can produce 360,000 cats in six years, while a dog and her offspring produce 67,000 dogs, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

    In Ingham County, dog owners pay $20 to license an unsterilized dog each year, and half that if the dog is spayed or neutered.

    But cats don't have to be registered, which eliminates that as an incentive for sterilization.

    The overpopulation of felines in shelters is a national problem, said Kate Pullen, director of animal shelters at the Humane Society of the United States.

    "Since cats are unrestricted and people believe they are made to wander, they're not getting spayed or neutered," she said. "This causes an overpopulation leading more cats to be sent to shelters."

    The solution, her agency says, includes a widespread sterilization program for pets and stronger regulations for cat owners.

    "It is only through proactive programs that we will change animal population dynamics in communities," Pullen said.

    "The reality is that the community can change this concern. They can't expect the shelter to."

    Contact Aja Carmichael at 377-1052 or acarmichael@lansing.gannett.com.