For the City Times

Coalition of humane societies announce waiver of cat adoption fees in July

WISCONSIN – In 2016, a coalition of animal shelters in Wisconsin launched a joint promotion in July, waiving fees for all adult cats.

The organizations had 1,054 combined cat/kitten adoptions that month, compared to 842 the previous year, an increase of 25% (212 cats). It was such a huge success that they are doing it again, but with even more Wisconsin shelters on board.

The 2^nd annual “I Cat Believe It!” joint cat adoption promotion aims to save the lives of 1,000 cats in July. Ten shelters in eight Wisconsin counties – the Wisconsin Humane Society’s (WHS) three shelter locations, the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC), Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Bay Area Humane Society, Sheboygan County Humane Society, Washington County Humane Society, South Wood County Humane Society and Elmbrook Humane Society have all agreed that in the month of July, all adoption fees for adult cats (1 year or older) will be entirely waived. They hope to surpass last year’s adoptions.

The initiative is in response to the dramatic peak of cat intake in the summer months. The Wisconsin Humane Society alone reports that they are currently caring for 480 cats, in comparison to 160 cats the same day in January.

“Cat population is truly like a rollercoaster, dipping sharply in winter and rising fast in the summer months. We’re hearing similar trends from our colleagues throughout Wisconsin and we’re hoping this initiative will inspire more cat adoptions throughout the entire region this month,” said Anne Reed, President & CEO of WHS.

Interested in adopting? Visit the shelters’ websites to view available cats and learn more about the adoption process. The participating shelters include:

• Elmbrook Humane Society, www.ebhs.org
• Humane Animal Welfare Society, www.hawspets.org
• Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, http://madacc.org/
• Sheboygan County Humane Society, www.myschs.com/
• Washington County Humane Society, http://www.wchspets.org/
• Wisconsin Humane Society Milwaukee Campus, www.wihumane.org
• Wisconsin Humane Society Ozaukee Campus, www.wihumane.org
• Wisconsin Humane Society Racine Campus, www.wihumane.org
• Bay Area Humane Society, http://bayareahumanesociety.com/
• South Wood County Humane Society, http://www.swchs.com/