Mega Cat Adopt-A-Thon Set For This Weekend

CLEARWATER — The Humane Society of Pinellas, with support from Bay Area Disaster Animal Response Team, will host a large-scale adoption event in conjunction with the  ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) to find homes for 130 cats rescued from Caboodle Ranch. The ASPCA rescued hundreds of cats from Caboodle Ranch in Lee, Fla. this past February. Several shelters around Florida will also host adoption events in August for Caboodle Ranch cats, including Jacksonville Humane Society and Cat Depot in Sarasota.

The Humane Society of Pinellas’ adoption event is August 11 and 12, 10 am to 6 pm, at 1928 Gulf to Bay Blvd in Clearwater. Overflow parking will be available across the street at Clearwater High School.

Name Your Own Fee! Adopters of the cats on August 11 and 12 may set their own adoption fee. The cats have been spayed/neutered and microchipped, and each has received a thorough veterinary exam and behavior evaluation. A veterinarian and behavior expert will be available on-site each day to answer any questions for prospective adopters. Some of these cats have special needs, including cats that are FIV+.

The Humane Society of Pinellas’ shelter on State Road 590 will be closed to the public August 11 and 12 so that all resources can be directed to the adoption event. The Humane Society of Pinellas is the lead agency, with staffing help from Bay Area Disaster Animal Response Team. PetSmart Charities® is providing grants to all of the host communities, as well as wire cages and shelter supplies.

For nearly five months, hundreds of ASPCA responders have been managing the sheltering, medical treatment and behavior enrichment of these animals removed from the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at Caboodle Ranch. In June, the County Court, Third Judicial Circuit, Madison County, FL, stripped Caboodle Ranch of all right, title or interest in the animals seized from its property and placed the animals in the custody of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office subsequently transferred custody of the animals to the ASPCA, and now agencies across Florida are joining efforts to help these cats find the homes they deserve. 

For more information on the adoption events and the cats rescued from Caboodle Ranch, please visit http://www.aspca.org/caboodlecats