Ontario SPCA holds adopt-a-thon to help influx of cats

Bruno is one of the many cats in Sudbury, Ont., who is looking for his forever home.

The two year-old black and white cat is currently up for adoption during the Ontario SPCA's iAdopt Urgent Appeal adoption campaign.

"We urgently need to find home for the cats in our care," Tonya Martin, director of animal centres and humane programming for the OSPCA, said in a news release. "We are looking for the public's assistance to help us place cats into loving forever homes."

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iAdopt is a year-round campaign run by the OSPCA to promote pet adoption, but a recent influx of cats and kittens in animal centres has prompted the organization's urgent appeal.

During the campaign, which runs until Sunday, Aug. 6, all cats and kittens are available for $50 each. Each animal comes spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. OSPCA is also providing six weeks of free pet insurance.

Listen to the interview at OSPCA Sudbury and meet Bruno. 

Centres see an influx of cats in summer months

OSPCA Sudbury manager Rachelle Lamoureux said centres often see more cats and kittens during the summer.

"These are the times of year where cats do tend to have more litters, and so many shelters such as ours do generally get an influx of kittens at this time," she said.

Lamoureux said the centre in Sudbury relies on help from volunteers and other organizations, to help meet the needs of the cats in their care.

"We do have a great network of other animal centres that help us out for our transferring network," she said. "We also have a good group of foster homes through our volunteer program that we use as well."

There are six cats currently available in Sudbury, and a few waiting to be spayed or neutered.  

Matchmaking survey helps owners and cats find each other

The OSPCA uses the Meet Your Match survey, a program designed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to help pair prospective owners with cats that match their personality.

Cats are evaluated and grouped into three colour categories, based on their personalities. Green cats are adventurous and adaptable, while orange cats are quiet and need more encouragement. Orange cats, like Bruno, are quintessential companion cats.

Lamoureux said owning a cat is a lifelong commitment, and anyone who wants to adopt should be know what kind of cat they're looking for.    

"We do educated and informed adoptions, so we let the adopter make the best decision for the type of animal that they're looking for."