Before even reaching its one-year anniversary, the Saratoga County Animal Shelter cat annex at Clifton Park Center Mall found forever homes for 500 cats. In honor of adopting out so many furry felines, and to thank the community for making the experimental venture such a success, the annex is holding a celebration at its mall location on Wednesday, July 28, starting at 4 p.m.
`We thought this was so monumental, why don’t we have a public celebration to thank the volunteers and bring in more foot traffic. We’ll have some refreshments,` said Joette Aisenstat, a volunteer.
The annex started keeping track of cats adopted on the hundreds, so cat No. 100, cat No. 200, and so on, were recorded and photographed. Those pets and their owners were specifically invited to the `500 Celebration.` Aisenstat said the annex reached its 500th cat around the beginning of June and is probably close to reaching 600.
The annex is staffed entirely by volunteers, about 60, and they split up between morning and evening shifts. The earlier shift is responsible for doing a thorough cleaning, which means changing the water and food, scooping the litter boxes and cleaning out the cages. Volunteers also take some cats out to play to provide social interaction. The evening volunteers do a lighter cleaning job and handle the adoptions and inquiries.
Aisenstat said the annex is a `real gift` and has provided the shelter with an offsite center to adopt out even more cats, in addition to what are adopted at the permanent location. She said the mall offshoot has become popular quickly.
`Everyone who comes in is delighted. It’s different than the animal shelter setting because it’s like a great big living room, with much less stress, no dogs barking, just homey and comfy. They stay here until they’re adopted,` said Aisenstat. `We have the public stop in and have hundreds of different stories of animals they’ve had, what they’re looking for; it’s almost like a haven for people to come in and talk about their cats. It’s wonderful and should be celebrated.`
The cats are an equal mix of strays, surrenders and kittens. Aisenstat said because of the economic climate, many people may be losing jobs and homes and hang on to animals as long as they can, until at some point they make the choice to surrender it to a shelter. There’s also a problem with pet owners not spaying or neutering their cats, so when they’re let outside, they create a growing population of stray kittens.
Aisenstat also works with HOPE, which stands for Homes for Orphaned Pets Exist, and is a rescue group that fosters animals until they find permanent homes. As a retired schoolteacher, she said volunteering her time is instinct, and helping animals is especially important.
`Animals don’t have a voice. The strays and surrenders that are at a shelter don’t have anyone to speak for them, so as rescue people, that’s what we do,` said Aisenstat. `Volunteering is one of the most rewarding things. It’s that feeling that you have to pay it back.`
The animal shelter annex is open Monday through Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday from 3 to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The `500 Celebration` on Wednesday, July 28, is open to the public and starts at 4 p.m., with raffles being drawn at 6 p.m.
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