From the SPA
Kittens on parade
by Christine Foster, August 18, 2006

We are winning! So far this year, we’ve found homes for over 90 dogs and 40 cats. Right now, we have only a dozen kittens under the age of six months (down from a high of 27 in June).

The adoption rate is heartwarming, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure a good life for these little personalities (purr-sonalities?), but we’re not quite there yet. Say the adoption rate drops off. Say another month or two goes by and these little ones are still growing up with us. Soon they will have to be streamed into the main female and male cages and there, the truth is, the adoption rates slow to a crawl. Adolescents become adults with largely empty lives, either so eager for touch they launch themselves into the lap of every volunteer who comes to sit with them, or worse, they begin to hang back, giving up, watching cautiously from a corner. Puzzled. Mistrustful.

Some of our newest, merriest arrivals are pictured here in the SPA sunroom, sometimes known as our kitty daycare. If they could parade for you, they would. If they could call you on the phone, they would. But now that you know how patiently they’re waiting, maybe you could drop by and see them. Maybe there’s room for just a little more love in your life?

This week’s dog is Toby. I was in the shelter when he came in a few weeks ago—sad, ill and shaking. His owner left him to be euthanized, but our vet, Cristina, wanted to give him a chance, so she treated him with vitamins and antibiotics and in 24 hours he’d made an astounding recovery. Now he’s one of our favorite fellows. We’re pretty sure there’s some Basset or Dachshund, or possibly even Corgi, lurking in his pedigree, but what’s certain is that he’s completely adorable.

With bright eyes, a cheerful, expressive face and a bounce in his short steps, he’s built for loyal, fun, loving companionship. He’s a young adult, only two or three years old, with many years of love to give. Someone will adore this low-rider as much as he will adore them. Come and meet him and see whether maybe you are made for each other!

Please come and visit these and all our other great animals at Sociedad Protectora de Animales, open from noon to 2pm, Monday through Friday, for adoptions and volunteers. The clinic is open from 10am to 2pm. A donation of 250 pesos for cats and 300 pesos for dogs is requested for adoption and includes sterilization. We are located at Los Pinos 7, a right turn off Calzada de la Estación. Call 152-6124 or visit www.spasanmiguel.org to learn more about us and about how to sponsor or adopt an animal.