Cary cat rescue group looking for loving homes

“This is the worst drop off that we've had in past summers. The combination of the economy, and the summer, was the main cause of this (fewer adoptions),” said Mike Fox, with Cat Angels Pet Adoptions.

Fox took in 25 cats on Wednesday from a home at 8626 Chapel Hill Road. The homeowner decided to surrender 65 of her cats after animal control officers came to her house.

After being examined, only 36 cats were able to be saved; the others were put down. WRAL was told another cat rescued from the home had to be put to sleep over the weekend.

Cat Angels Pet Adoptions plans to spay, neuter, vaccinate and then put the rescued cats up for adoption. But Fox said during a recession, it isn't easy finding homes for rescued animals.

"People are losing their houses and trying to give up their cats, rather than adopting them," Fox explained.

But Cat Angels didn’t let a full house prevent them from offering a temporary home to the recently rescued animals.

"We have worked to squeeze in additional space. We’ve had to improvise. We set up cages in storage areas, and we've had some of our volunteers take them to foster at home," Fox said.

Cat Angels volunteer Lisa Rich sent her husband to check out the new additions last week.

“When I heard those numbers, and I thought where is he going to put them all? And I said, ‘See if they need us to keep a couple, and he came home with eight cats,’” Rich said.

So far, six of the cats have been spoken for. Fox said he hopes the publicity surrounding the rescue, and that most of the rescued cats are Siamese, will help with finding them loving homes.

Anyone interested in adopting one of the cats is asked to call Cat Angels Pet Adoptions at 919-463-9586 or visit the group at 102-F Woodwinds Industrial Court in Cary from 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County is also offering 50 percent off adoption fees as an incentive to help find homes for its animals this summer.