The Leon County Humane Society hosted “HallowKitty Costume Carnival” on National Cat Day to spread the awareness in adult cat adoptions.
Guests dressed in Halloween costumes to have their adoption fees waived for cats older than four months old.
Lisa Glunt, the Cat Foster Program Coordinator at the Leon County Humane Society, explained how the staff members were on-site to assist potential cat owners.
“We do an extensive match up to help each cat find the perfect home,” Glunt said. “We evaluate the potential cat owners by asking several questions to see which cat would be the best fit for their family.”
Glunt illustrated the reason behind the HallowKitty Costume Carnival.
“There are an estimated 25,000 stray cats in the community of Tallahassee. This event will spread the word of older cat adoptions and lower these numbers.” Glunt said.
Glunt also explains the benefits of adopting cats versus going to a pet store or breeder.
“These cats are truly rescues. They come from bad environments and situations. You are saving a life. We spay and neuter them. We also microchip them. Pet shops do not provides these services and it can get expensive,” Glunt expressed.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or ASPCA, each year over three million cats and dogs are euthanized due to the overcrowding at shelters and from people choosing to go to a breeder or pet shop for a pet.
The ASPCA also reports that it is a challenge to get an estimate of how many stray animals are in America, but the estimates for stray cats are over 70 million.
Sabrina Hitomi, a Tallahassee resident, adopted a cat from the HallowKitty Costume Carnival event.
“This is the first event like this that I have ever been to. I would love to come back to another one of these in the future,” Hitomi said.
Eunice Mauch, another Tallahassee resident, attended the HallowKitty Costume Carnival as a potential adopter. She highly recommends adopting animals, specifically cats from the Leon County Humane Society.
“Yes, I would definitely recommend this event to anyone. They do an excellent job trying to match up cats to the appropriate owners,” Mach said.
The Leon County Humane Society had a total of 15 cat adoptions.