Jan 29, 2010 - 01:34 PM

By Kristen Calis

PICKERING -- Sally, Sue, Mike, Radish and Ebony are some of the very lucky cats in the care of a loving veterinary technician in north Pickering.

But while Sharon Carss has become attached to the homeless felines, she hopes to find them forever homes during this weekend's open house and adopt-a-thon at the new shelter she's running, Cat Town, in the Pickering hamlet of Green River.

There are currently 17 cats and kittens in the shelter. Since she doesn't want to overcrowd the shelter, finding new homes for the orphaned cats will make room for the others she and other volunteers hope to rescue from high-kill shelters.

"If people come and adopt them we'll be able to take more from the shelter," she said, adding there are many more they hope to save.

Cat Town is a new shelter that's part of the Richmond Hill-based not-for-profit organization, Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue and Adoption Inc., which rescues cats and kittens slated for euthanasia at high-kill shelters. Some of them are seniors that have been abandoned by their owners for reasons such as a move or allergies; others are kittens the shelter doesn't have room for.

"A healthy animal being euthanized just because there's no room I think is wrong," Ms. Carss said, adding it's often because people don't get their cats spayed or neutered that they're even in the situation.

Forgotten Ones volunteers put the cats into foster care and the felines are posted on the organization's adoption page online. Last year, the rescue adopted out 258 cats.

Ms. Carss, a longtime volunteer with Forgotten Ones, decided to open the shelter in Pickering to house some of the rescued cats and make them available for Durham residents interested in adoption.

"We wanted to move into Durham Region," she said. "I just didn't know how to do it."

Ms. Carss's mother, who owns Old Favourites Book Shop in Green River, suggested her daughter turn the empty apartment above the shop into a shelter.

Ms. Carss jumped at the chance since she's always had a dream to open her own shelter. She's been a vet tech for 10 years, and currently volunteers with Forgotten Ones, and the Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Pickering. She opened Cat Town in late 2009 and has adopted out three cats so far.

"It's rewarding," Ms. Carss said. "If I could win the lottery and just do this, I would."

Ms. Carss can't emphasize enough the importance of getting cats spayed or neutered. Hundreds of thousands are put down across Canada every year because there's no place for them to go.

"For whatever reason people just don't fix their cats as they do their dogs," she said.

The cats at Cat Town will come spayed or neutered, as long as they're old enough for the procedure. They also come microchipped, and are up to date with vaccines, de-worming and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) testing. If they're not, they'll be adopted at the lower rate.

Cats at the adopt-a-thon will range from $150 to $220. It will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The shelter is located at 132 Hwy. 7, just east of the York-Durham Townline.

Ms. Carss emphasized adopting a cat is a long-term commitment, and it's important to be certain potential cat owners are ready for that responsibility before adopting, especially since cats become attached to their families.

Cats are also available for adoption on the Forgotten Ones website. While most are in foster care in Richmond Hill, the organization will make arrangements to bring the cats to the Pickering location to meet their prospective adopters from Durham. The website also accepts donations, as the rescue runs solely on donations.

VISIT: www.forgottenones.ca

E-MAIL: info@forgottenones.ca

CALL: 905-770-4851