SPRINGFIELD — Dakin Humane Society is running an “Adopt One/Get One Free” promotion for select kittens and cats after a Franklin County animal lover’s good intentions to care for vulnerable and stray felines resulted in a horde of at least 75 when community members started randomly dropping off cats.
“This person truly didn’t know where to turn,” said Lee Chambers, Dakin’s manager of marketing and communications, adding that the individual’s name and town of residence are being withheld for privacy reasons.
People interested in helping these pets should visit bit.ly/2GIZwdP to see which cats and kittens have the “BOGO” label, then submit an inquiry to adopt by clicking on the “Adopt Me” button on that cat’s page. When the adoption is approved, the adoption fee for the second cat will be waived.
Another option is for an adopter to submit an inquiry for the first cat or kitten and then visit Dakin in Springfield to meet other kittens and choose a companion. These adoption fees will be in effect until all the available cats that came from the Franklin County home are adopted.
Chambers said several of the cats are “bonded,” meaning they have a strong emotional attachment to a fellow feline and must be adopted as a pair to make the adjustment easier for everyone involved.
The unidentified animal lover reportedly took in strays and cats dropped off by other people. The person was initially able to handle the cats’ expenses on a fixed income, but soon grew overwhelmed when unspayed/unneutered cats began having litters. The number of cats in the person’s home exploded within a year.
“That wasn’t this person’s wish,” Chambers said, adding that “this person really didn’t want to be in this situation and didn’t want to have a large, large number of cats.”
She said the person eventually learned about Dakin and the organization visited the Franklin County home once to assess the situation and take 19 felines before removing 56 more on July 21. Chambers said there will likely be another visit to collect some kittens that were too little to be taken from their mothers as of July 21.
Dakin is spaying/neutering the cats, providing them with medical care and preparing them for adoption.
“This is a person who really wanted help, but didn’t know where to get it,” Moon Wymore, adoption center manager, said in a statement. “They likely would have gotten help much sooner if they had known about the available resources Dakin offers and didn’t have the transportation issues they have. They felt fortunate that we were able to go on-site and get the cats and kittens ourselves.”
According to a statement, Dakin Humane Society in 2021 provided more than 61,000 pounds of pet food through its Pet Food Aid Program, re-homed 1,666 pets, and helped 329 feral cats and kittens through its Kitten Street Team Program. Dakin’s Pet Health Center, a non-emergency veterinary resource for dogs and cats, opened in 2022. Additionally, Dakin’s Community Spay/Neuter Clinic has performed at least 100,000 surgeries since 2009. Visit dakinhumane.org for more information.
Reach Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.