Free adoption time at FOGAS again

The cats were content at the Friends of Gonzales Animal Shelter (FOGAS) this week. It may have been the warm sun on their shiny fur. Or perhaps that they have a free-ride home should an adopter come looking for a new housemate.

Yes, adoptions are free for a limited time and by the looks of the uncrowded shelter, people have been taking advantage of the pet perk.

According to FOGAS mainstay Mary Anne MacLean, an anonymous donor has made it possible for 100 cats to be adopted free of charge at the shelter.

“It's really made a big difference,” she said.

Cat adoptions are normally $75 per animal, which can add up for a family that is looking for a couple of kittens for the kids. But this discount allows people to get a good start on purchasing cat food and toys and whatever else it is they think makes a cat happy. The cats adopted at FOGAS also come spayed or neutered and are current on their vaccinations.

According to MacLean, the shelter set out to make itself an adoption destination for the region, with its no-kill policy and almost park-like setting where families could come and interact with the cats and hopefully find one that would attach to them. Recent additions to their facility have added seating areas and more rooms to keep the animals separated by age and mood.

Visiting the shelter every so often is a good reminder for what good cat stewardship is. For instance, MacLean talks about getting boxes of kittens from well-meaning citizens who feel that the litter has been abandoned and is in danger. To the contrary, it is likely the mother cat has simply gone foraging for food and will return to the litter soon. It is not unlike the scenario that motorists and homeowners get into when they think they are doing right by “rescuing” a newborn fawn deer.

In both cases, it is best to let nature run its course and most likely the animals will be just fine.

But when kittens do come in, the FOGAS staff does their best to keep the animals healthy and prepare them for their next home. Adoptions work real well if families are able to take two kittens from the same litter, MacLean said. She compared it to being dropped off in a foreign country where you wouldn't know the language. But if you were to take your best friend, it would turn into an adventure.

Even with the free adoptions, the staff often receives donations from the individuals taking advantage of the discount. It is their own way to pay it forward to insure that another family down the road might have the same experience.

As of this week, there were around 20 cats in the facility to choose from. That number is expected to grow in the coming months as “cat season” comes around — the time when litters start popping up from the various feral cat populations around town. Texas' mild climate makes it ideal for an extended breeding season.

In the meantime, MacLean has dreams of building a nursery room at the shelter, which is the best way to care for new kittens, she said. Volunteers would be encouraged to come in and learn from the experienced staff on proper bottle feeding techniques and care taking scenarios. That process is preferable to the current foster system where individuals can get overwhelmed at feeding a litter at all hours of the night.

The free adoptions are ongoing. FOGAS is open Tuesday-Friday from 3-5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. You can reach them at 830-857-1616.