With kitten season finally winding down, and local shelters tackling the never-ending task of finding homes for their animal residents, Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority held its annual Walking in a Whisker Wonderland adoption event on Nov. 8.
The pay-what-you-want in adoption fees yearly adoptathon gave event attendees the chance to participate in a raffle, and new pet-owners and long-term pet parents the opportunity to have their pet take a photo with Santa – fundraisers for SVACA’s non-profit group, Friends of SVACA.
Wonderland’s main goal, however, was to find homes for the 69 animals up for adoption (60 cats, eight dogs and one rabbit) – including long-term resident Sugar and unique kitty Cashew.
“I think the longest one, at the moment, is Sugar,” said Jennifer Mathers, care specialist lead at SVACA. “She’s an older cat and I think she’s been here since July. Our fingers are crossed for her.”
“The [special cat] that comes to mind is Cashew,” she continued. “It’s kind of hard to describe it, but he has an odd gait. He’s really cool though. He’s been here since September. He’s kind of quirky and everybody loves his quirky personality.”
As some perused SVACA’s cageless facility, others, like Mary Hadley and her mother, Jessica, came in knowing exactly which animal they wanted to adopt.
“We already have a cat, Nova … and my mom came in here yesterday,” said Mary Hadley. “We wanted a black and white cat because we wanted to name it Sylvester, which is my grandfather’s middle name … I love cats. I couldn’t have any when I was younger because of asthma, but when I turned 16 my doctor cleared me.”
“I saw him online and I fell in love with him,” said Jessica Hadley of Seymore, the cat the family adopted. “If you look at him straight in the face he kind of looks like Batman because of his ears. And, he has a goatee, and my husband has a goatee.”
Within the first hour and a half of the event, 15 people, including the Hadleys, had requested meet-and-greets with various animals. By the end of the day, 17 kittens and five dogs were adopted. However, Sugar and Cashew are still looking for their forever homes. Visit www.svaca.com to see the pair or go to the shelter at 3370 Thomas Road, Santa Clara, 95054 to meet Sugar, Cashew or any of SVACA’s other adoptable animals.
