It’s cats galore at the Table Mountain Animal Center.
The Jefferson County shelter is at cat capacity and is running a special to entice people to adopt its kitties.
“We’ve been at capacity since the middle of the summer,” said Ben Drotar, the shelter’s marketing director. “Generally it slows down about this time. This year, it hasn’t.”
The shelter is caring for 157 cats, and more are waiting to be checked in, Drotar said.
To move the cats, Table Mountain has cut its adoption fees. Adult cats younger than 8 are $35, less than half the normal price. Cats 8 and older can be adopted for $10.
The price includes spaying or neutering, microchip identification, vaccines and a checkup by the in-house veterinarian.
Drotar advised that people not adopt a cat to give to someone as a holiday gift.
Gift certificates can be put under the tree or in a stocking and the recipient can go to the shelter at their convenience and pick out their own cat. That increases the odds that the pet will be a good fit for the owner.
Cats make perfect pets, Drotar said, because they can be friendly and independent.
“Cats are great. Cats are truly companion animals. They sit on your lap. They have a calming effect with their purring,” Drotar said. “You can leave for a couple of days and put out food and have the litter box ready for them to do their business in and it’s no problem.”
Lisa Haley of Golden adopted a cat, a 5-year-old brown tabby named Laurel, on Monday.
Laurel is a new playmate for the family’s other cat, Chloe, a 5-year-old calico.
The two have been hissing at each other, but Haley expects them to be best friends after a short while.
Since her adoption, Laurel found a comfortable spot to bed down – with 8-year-old Sean, Haley’s son.
“She slept in his bed the entire night,” Haley said. “That made his year. He is going to school announcing it to everyone.”
Drotar suggests cat owners should make their animals house pets.
Letting cats run loose outside the home is part of the reason why the shelter is full, he said.
The shelter, 4105 Youngfield Service Road in Golden, is open weekdays from noon to 7 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
For more information, call the shelter at 303-278-7575 or go to www.tablemountainanimals.org.
Drotar, who owns two cats, said: “I can’t think of any reason not to have a cat.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-820-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
