PetSmart is holding its May National Adoption Weekend and up to 25 cats will be hoping to get new homes in Barrie.
Spring is considered “kitten season” and it's estimated 20 million kittens will be born but the weekend blitz at the Mapleview Dr. West location will focus on moms.
"We do have a lot of kittens in the pipeline coming. We're just waiting to get them spayed and neutered. Right now there's a big urgency to get the mothers adopted," said Michael Bernhardt, general manager of the Barrie PetSmart.
"This adoption blitz is needed because there are many, many stray and abandoned cats and kittens that need homes. There are a lot of mother cats right now that need homes. Their babies are going to get adopted easily but it's their mothers that really need a home."
Moms, black cats, senior cats - the felines that are not quite as popular - and some kittens will be available from participating shelters including Furry Friends and several OSPCA's in the region.
"Barrie does so well with adoptions that we are actually drawing from externally as well so from Innisfil, Orillia and the Muskoka area. We're able to get cats in from all areas and find them homes," Bernhardt said.
Bernhardt notes the advantages of adopting an adult cat is that you will already know their personality. They're already house trained and socialized.
The kitten population explosion in spring brings challenges to shelters according to Steven Kaufman, a certified animal welfare administrator and centre of excellence manager for adoptions at PetSmart Charities.
“It’s estimated that 20 million kittens will be born this spring. To put that in perspective, that’s twice as many kittens as there are people living in Toronto,” said Kaufman. “As a result, the waiting rooms of veterinary clinics, animal welfare agencies, rescues and shelters are overrun with people holding boxes of unplanned litters of homeless kittens. It’s challenging to find the resources, volunteers and finances to provide food, shelter, vaccinations and veterinary care to so many kittens during such a short amount of time, not to mention finding them the forever homes they deserve.”
A recent online survey of 1,000 Canadian pet owners showed 87% of those surveyed believe less than one million homeless pets enter shelters each year in North America. In reality, the number is closer to 6.5 million.
With the help of thousands of animal welfare organizations PetSmart and PetSmart Charities hope to find homes for more than 24,000 pets this weekend.
“At PetSmart Charities of Canada, we’re committed to finding forever homes for all pets, but at this time of year, the need for finding adoptive families for kittens and cats increases exponentially,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., and president of PetSmart Charities of Canada. “While kittens tend to find homes very quickly, adult female cats, especially those that are about to or have just had a litter, are often abandoned and they’re in need of forever homes, too.”
Bernhardt says he was always a dog person until he adopted a cat.
"But there's no such thing really as a dog lover or a cat lover. I think everyone is an animal lover in Barrie. We're a big animal community."
Prices for cats are in the $170 range which includes all vaccinations, spayed or neutered and a microchip.
PetSmart Charities of Canada’s May National Adoption Weekend runs May 5 - 7
Store hours are Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
