The city’s feline groovy with a new shelter

With the holidays fast approaching, many people are considering granting a friend or family member’s wish for an animal companion. This series explores the requirements and realities of owning popular pets.

This weekend, one 9-year-old will open a $300,000 gift and has invited the entire city to share in the celebration. On Dec. 14, Cat Haven welcomes the public to its new shelter at 11130 North Harrell’s Ferry Rd. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For almost a decade, the city’s largest feline nonprofit has worked to rescue, re-home and spay/neuter abandoned and feral cats and to raise funds to have a home of its own. During 2008, the group has placed 400 felines and spayed/neutered an additional 1,000 feral cats.

The new North Harrell’s Ferry Road shelter has eight deluxe cat rooms with catwalks and perches. While the shelter houses 24 cats at a time, the organization’s foster homes will continue to care for the majority of its rescued cats and kittens.

If your family is interested in adopting a cat or a kitten, Cat Haven has a variety of beautiful cats and kittens ready to move from its new home to yours.

However, Cat Haven President John McChesney cautions, “We don’t do adoptions for gifts. We do give certificates, and we arrange a special time to work with the family.” Although adoption days are set for PetsMart, the nonprofit knows a pet is anything but an impulse buy. The low number of felines returned to Cat Haven by adoptive owners vindicates its approach.

“We still encourage all the people in the household to take part in the decision,” McChesney explains. “We want everybody to be happy and animal to be happy.” Cat Haven volunteers work with each family to determine what type of cat personality best suits the household—from young children to the elderly grandparents and birds to dogs.

For example, McChesney says, “Little kittens—eight weeks or so—can’t control their claws, so they’re not ideal for a child or an older person with delicate skin.” Cat Haven volunteers counsel the family about the risks of irritating of allergies and toxemia during pregnancy from handling kitty litter and the realities of living with a species that is destined to shed and get on furniture.

It’s also important for the family to meet a number of adoptable animals before deciding on the companion, who may easily live 15 to 20 years. “My experience is the pets pick out the people not the other way around,” McChesney quips.

Purebred cats—such as Persians, Abyssinians, Blue Russians, Sphynx—come with a pedigree and typically cost from $600 to $1,200. Cat Haven’s rescued cats cost $90 and come microchipped, spayed/neutered, feline immunosuppressive virus (FIV) and feline leukemia tested, litter-boxed trained, up-to-date on shots, treated for common intestinal issues and ear mites—and the occasional pedigree.

While both certified breeders and rescue provide quality cats and lovable kittens, Cat Haven offers one distinct advantage. “When you adopt from us,” McChesney explains, “you’re saving a life.” And what is a greater gift than that?

For more information, visit cathaven.org.

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