Kids & Cats

The Bmore Humane October Kids Club meeting is all about cats.

Learning how cats use body language to talk to each other and their humans is just one of the agenda items for the Oct. 22 get-together.

After the meeting, the kids and their parents will get to read to the cats (and dogs) in the Baltimore Humane Society's shelter.

Sounds like fun! For information, visit the Bmore Humane website.

Free And Reduced Price Adoptions

Looking for a free to good home kitty? Check out the cats and kittens at Anne Arundel County Animal Control. All cats and kittens are free until further notice. And they're all neutered/spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and have county licenses, too.

The shelter is located at 411 Maxwell Frye Road in Millersville.

Fund-Raisers To Benefit Cats

BARCStoberfest: Okay. We'll forgive the doggy theme. BARCS' annual BARCStoberfest raises money for cats, too!

This year's event in Patterson Park includes a brand new beer garden, a Ready, Set...SNIFF! 5K run and one-mile walk, shopping, a yoga class, a barre class, local food trucks and more.

Mark your calendar for Oct. 22 from 10 am-2 pm. Registration for the 5K and Walk begins at 8 a.m.

BARCStoberfest 2016 is presented by Matt and Maria Wieters and sponsored by Pet Valu.

Low Cost Vet Care

Walk-In Vaccine Clinic: The Animal Welfare Society of Howard County's next walk-in vaccine and wellness clinic is this coming Monday, Sept. 26 from 5-8 pm.

Animal Welfare is located at 8556 Davis Road in Columbia.

Free Neuters/Spays: Do you live in Zip Code 21211? You can get your cat neutered/spayed for free at the Maryland SPCA during October.

The SPCA is located at 3300 Falls Road. For information about getting your cat neutered/spayed, call 410-889-SPAY or email fixem@mdspca.org.

Adopting A Cat Online

Have you looked at all the cats on Craig's List? Here are some other places to check online for cats who are staying with their families until they're adopted.

The Maryland SPCA has courtesy posts on its website.

Baltimore's Virtual Cat Adoption Center is a Facebook page for "owner give-ups." It's sponsored by the Howard County Cat Club.

We encourage people to rehome their cats themselves and keep them until they're adopted. No cat belongs in a shelter or in rescue, and cats "show" better when they're in their own homes.

Here are some suggestions for adopting a cat who's still with his family.

• Meet the cat in his own home, not yours. You'll get a better idea of what his personality is like.

• Ask questions.

1. Why are the people giving up the cat?
2. If the cat has litter box issues, will your home be less stressful than the one he's in now?
3. If the cat wants to be outside, can you provide an indoor/outdoor environment for him?
4. If he doesn't like other animals, are you willing to let him be the one and only for life?

If your answer to any of these questions is no, you and the cat are probably not a good match.

• Have his "ex" bring the cat to you. That will be less frightening for the cat than going off with a total stranger.

• Make sure his "ex" brings his medical records, dishes, favorite toys and an unwashed towel or pillowcase that smells like home. That will be reassuring to him in his strange new environment.

Be patient. It can take a cat several days or even weeks to get used to a new home. But by adopting a cat who's still with his family, you've done a good deed because you've probably saved the cat from a shelter or going into rescue.

Baltimore Area Cat Adoption Shows

Alley Cat Rescue always has cats for adoption at the Laurel PetValue store in the Laurel Town Center Mall on Route 1 in Laurel.

Cats R Us has cat adoption shows at both the Arundel Mills and Annapolis PetSmart stores from noon-3 pm on Saturdays. The Arundel Mills store is located at 7663 Arundel Mills Boulevard, Hanover. The address for the Annapolis store is 2601 Housley Road. You can also see the rescue's cats for adoption at the Pasadena, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Edgewater and Ellicott City PetValue stores. Visit the the Cats R Us website to see cats available for adoption.

Cats from BARCS are available for adoption at the Halethorpe PetCo store, 3591 Washington Boulevard (Walmart shopping center). A BARCS volunteer will walk you through the adoption process.

Charm City Animal Rescue has adoption shows from 11 am-2 pm on the first and last weekend of every month at the Lutherville Petco store, 1719 York Road. To see cats available for adoption, visit the no-kill rescue's Adopt a Pet.com page.
 
The Feline Rescue Association has adoption shows at the Owings Mills PETCO on Saturdays from 11 am-3 pm. and at the Gambrills PetCo on Sundays from 1-3 pm. The Owings Mills store is located in the Garrison Forest Shopping Center, 10383 Reisterstown Road. The Gambrills store is at1412 South Main Chapel Way. For more information and to see the Feline Rescue Association's cats, visit www.baltimorecats.org.


The Howard County Cat Club's cats for adoption are always happy to see visitors at their group home. For an appointment write to howardcountycats@earthlink.net. To see the cats online, visit the no-kill rescue's Adopt a Pet.com page. Looking for barn cats? Check the Mouse Patrol page on Adopt a Pet.com

The Maryland SPCA's Satellite Adoption location at the White Marsh Mall is open from 11-6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For information, visit  www.mdspca.org.

Rude Ranch in Harwood welcomes potential adopters to visit its no-kill shelter. Check the rescue's website for more information and to see adoptable cats.

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Baltimore Area Shelters

Are you thinking about relinquishing a cat? Many of the shelters on this list kill cats for space and health and behavior issues. Please don't take a cat to an open access shelter. Rehoming a cat yourself is always best. These tips will tell you how.

The Animal Welfare Society of Howard County, 8556  Davis Rd, Columbia, is open for adoptions from 10 am-2 pm on Saturdays. Visit this no-kill shelter's website for weekday adoption hours. 

Anne Arundel County Animal Control is open for adoptions on Saturdays from 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. The shelter is located at 411 Maxwell Frye Road in Millersville.Visit the shelter's website for weekday hours and to see cats available for adoption. (open access)

BARCS, 301 Stockholm Street, is open for adoptions from 11 am-4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Monday-Friday, the shelter is open for adoptions from 2-6 pm. Visit BARCS' website to see cats available for adoption. (open access)

Baltimore County Animal Control, 13800 Manor Road, Baldwin, is open from 10 am-3 pm on Saturdays for adoptions. During the week, the shelter is open for adoptions from noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. (open access)

The Baltimore Humane Society, 1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown, is open for adoptions from noon-6 pm Tuesday-Sunday.

Carroll County Humane Society, is open for adoptions from 9 am-11:30 on Saturdays. The shelter is located at 2517 Littlestown Pike, Westminster. During the week, adoption hours are 9 am-3:30pm Monday-Friday. (open access)

Howard County Animal Control, 8576 Davis Road, Columbia, is open Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m for adoptions. For weekday hours, visit Animal Control's website and try to not be put off by the picture of the police car at the top of the page! (open access)

The Maryland SPCA’s weekend adoption hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The SPCA is located at 3300 Falls Road in Hampden.Visit the SPCA's website for weekday adoption hours.