Of all the adoption events Toronto Cat Rescue has held at Kennedy Commons PetSmart, the one on the last weekend of February made history.
Toronto Cat Rescue has a no-kill policy and operates entirely on volunteers, with about 300 cats available for adoption at any time. Toronto Cat Rescue volunteer, Nalini Ramroop, helped organize the three-day adopt-a-thon at Kennedy Commons PetSmart in Scarborough.
“I would say this weekend was easily 10 to one compared to other weekends,” Ramroop said.
PetSmart Charities helps Toronto Cat Rescue subsidize costs by offering a financial contribution for every adoption. This contribution helped Toronto Cat Rescue reduce their cat adoption fee from $175 to $100 for the weekend.
As of Sunday afternoon, 14 cats had been adopted, with another interested person on the edge of commitment.
“The weekend was fantastic. I am really pleased,” Ramroop said. “We are down to two cats left in our adoption centre looking for homes.”
I would say this weekend was easily 10 to one compared to other weekends.
— Nalini Ramroop
The collaboration between PetSmart and Toronto Cat Rescue doesn’t end there; Purina is also involved. Thiviyaa Sehasothy, a brand ambassador for Purina pet care, also spent the weekend with cat adopters.
“I help them with the process of taking their pet home,”
Sehasothy said. “They get a free bag of Pro Plan cat food, a free box of Max Scoop (cat litter) and they get treats. Now they can just not worry about so many things…they can just take them home and take care of them.”
According to Namroop, this weekend will help clear older cats from the system and make room for new rescues. In the next few months, Toronto Cat Rescue will continue to hold adoption events in the GTA in preparation for kitten season in the spring.