Adopt a cat for $5 this month

HOUSTON

BARC officials say during June, which is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month, area residents can adopt a cat for just $5 -- $70 off the normal adoption fee.

The campaign was launched to help the animal shelter relieve its overcrowded facility.

During this week alone, the facility too k in 612 animals even though it has only 550 enclosures. More than a third of the animals it took in were kittens or mature cats.

"We really get battered from both sides with regard to cats. Because many cat owners still think it's acceptable to keep their pet as an 'outside cat' and don't sterilize the animal, there is a massive amount of reproduction going on that could be avoided, which means there is a massive amount of cat and kitten intake at BARC that could be avoided," BARC General Manager Dave Atencio said in a prepared statement. "Combine that with the fact that fewer people adopt or foster cats from any shelter - and BARC is no exception - and that creates a pretty urgent situation for us. We've got some creative plans that have begun to make a difference, such as Trap-Neuter-Return to begin to make a dent in the feral population, and our new Foster Food Pantry."

BARC pets available for adoption may be viewed at the shelter's website.