Adopt A Cat, Inc. DBA Spay/Houston

Adopt A Cat Mission Statement: Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and provide shelter/sanctuary for homeless felines until safe and caring permanent homes are found. Adopt A Cat maintains a NO KILL policy. Adopt A Cat also works to lessen the problem of pet overpopulation by spaying and neutering its rescues, by educating the public about the importance of sterilizing companion animals, and by providing information on low cost spay/neuter programs.

Adopt A Cat High Quality, Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic Mission Statement: To further the Adopt A Cat Mission by…
…providing high quality, low cost spay/neuter solutions for cats and dogs to the general public.
…developing community education programs with a focus on the community’s higher priority spay/neuter needs which include but are not limited to the Hispanic, low income, and rural populations of our communities.
…providing outreach transportation to areas not serviced by a high quality, low cost spay/neuter solution.

To reduce the number of unwanted litters of kittens and puppies entering into our shelters by providing access to the public for high quality, low cost spay/neuter services.

In September 1994, Dr. Beverly Harper, founded Adopt A Cat (AAC) as the sole cat-only, no-kill 501(C)(3) group in the Houston area. Many factors went into the decision to create a cat-only, no-kill rescue. At the time of our creation, only one small group of volunteers existed that provided a no-kill alternative for unwanted companion animals.

In recent decades more people are keeping cats as pets than in the past, leading to an over-population problem of crisis proportions which causes widespread suffering to the affected animals. The Houston climate’s mild winters creates a 365 day a year “kitten season”. Specialization makes it possible to use space and other scarce resources more efficiently. Today it remains the sole cat-only, no-kill, shelter/sanctuary in Greater Houston.

AAC began as a foster home based organization working with various area Petcos and PetsMarts, which provide space for off-site adoptions by animal welfare groups as part of their corporate policy. Adopt A Cat moved from its original location in the Montrose area in Houston to its current site near FM 1960 and I-45 in 2000. The property is being purchased. The structures were remodeled and complemented, in order to make them suitable to their new function.

In keeping with the no-kill model, cats and kittens are kept in cages only when newly accepted, ill, or to relieve the stress of shelter living that some exhibit. There are several colony living areas in which they can move about and find places to perch, sleep, relax, play, eat and perform other needed activities. The facility serves as temporary shelter for those who find permanent homes and a life-long sanctuary for those who do not.

While some adoptions occur at the shelter/sanctuary, the primary adoptions sites are still in the community at 1 Petco and 2 PetsMart stores. All cats are spayed/neutered, as well as having preventative vaccines, combo testing, and deworming. Additionally, many cats come with injuries and illnesses which are treated and healed.

Since its founding, AAC has accepted thousands of cats into the program. Although not a major part of the program, many feral (wild) cats have been trapped and released or relocated by volunteers or the Shelter Director. Whatever the destination, all were spayed or neutered and had routine vaccines, etc. before release. AAC now works closely with 2 feral cat groups (Clipped Ear and FCAP) to help place tame animals found during trap/neuter/return (TNR) into permanent homes. AAC is all about efficiency. The feral cat groups are more efficient at TNR and we have a solid adoption program. These types of collaborations keep our programs much more efficient.

An integral part of AAC’s commitment entails community education, as this has shown to be vital to challenging the overpopulation problem. This is done by way of the website, a great deal on the phone, at our off-site adoptions, as well at other public functions that AAC takes part in. Many people also contact us wanting assistance with spay neuter and other preventative health care for their cats or cats they have rescued. We assist with this to the extent that our resources allow.

Dr. Harper is still the active President and the Shelter Director. She has worked hard to establish the network of support structures that exist in the community. She and the never large enough group of volunteers and two-part time staff members continue the efforts despite the hard work, sacrifice and expense involved.

While there are many small rescue, foster-based and 2-3 small no-kill shelters in the Houston Area, the city remains second in the nation for the number of animals killed each year in area shelters. As the years pass and new rescue groups emerge, we see no reduction of the number of unwanted cats. This is primarily due to the lack of low cost resources in the North Houston and Montgomery County areas. For this reason, our 2009 mission became to create a high quality, low cost spay/neuter solution for cats and dogs for the use of the general public of northern Harris County and Montgomery County. AAC will develop a transport program for outreach into the rural and low income communities. We will also be directing a huge focus to the Hispanic community in Houston.

We do tabling, galas, work trade shows, car washes, bake sales

We are looking for responsible volunteers to help us fund-raise and help out at the spay/neuter clinic.  Volunteers working at the clinic take back real work experience that can go on a resume.  They can learn vet tech skills, how to handle animals, and customer service.