Claws for celebration at in-person cat-adopt event
New Yorkers turned up in droves Saturday to adopt cats and kittens at the Animal Care Center’s first in-person adoption event since the pandemic forced a suspension more than a year ago.
Some 85 kitties were available for cat lovers to bring home after being eyed in the furry flesh.
Vaneza Almodovar, 43, had tried and failed to adopt a new pet several time during the pandemic. So she surprised her daughter by bringing her from their home in Queens to the Animal Care Center’s East Harlem branch.
“I’ve never had a cat of my own,” Jezenia Almodovar, 9, said excitedly.
“It’s been worth waiting,” Vaneza Almodovar added.
Eight-year-old Ariah Williams and her grandmother Denise Cunningham got there an hour and a half early to snag ninth place in a line of dozens that extended down the block.
They settled on Raspberry, a 1-year-old brown tabby, even though the little girl thought she was going to choose his brother after viewing them online.
“I took to Raspberry because he was shy,” said Cunningham of the brown tabby. “That got me.”
“He looks pretty nice,” said Ariah, gazing at the cat sitting calmly inside their pet carrier.
Animal Care Center officials say they’ve had plenty of cats and dogs to adopt throughout the pandemic. But the patterns of people giving up pets for adoption shifted as people stayed indoors to avoid contracting COVID-19.
“People weren’t surrendering their animals and people weren’t finding animals on the street because they weren’t leaving their house,” said spokeswoman Katy Hansen.
The center plans a future event for dogs.
Even though pet adoptions never stopped, some prospective owners found the online application process difficult.
“We’ve been trying to adopt since COVID,” Veneza Almodovar said. “We’d put an application in and they’d say, ‘He just got adopted out.’ We were so frustrated.”
For Dylan Glickel, 25, and Carson Davis, 22, of Astoria, Queens, the event came at the right time after their previous cat died last month. They settled on 5-year-old Michi. “We just want to get another furry friend,” Glickel said.