County Humane Society always seeking adopters

Some of the ways cats show their love for humans is that they’re vocal and meow at their people as well as follow them around the house and sit by them. They’ll butt their head against the leg or arm, allow you to brush them, and sleep near them. These are just some of the ways cats show love for their families.

Andrew said it’s sad to see cats who have been abandoned by their families. Oftentimes they will stay by the house, waiting for their people to come back. They’re territorial animals, so it’s hard for them to leave a place where they’ve been living with people they loved.

While the Humane Society was founded 31 years ago, it has gone through many changes since its founding. It moved into its current building in 2011, and since around 2007 it’s mainly served cats, as dogs are often easier to adopt out and can be taken care of by the municipally funded Blackfoot Animal Shelter. Since then, they have taken in some dogs that were fostered out, but in the last couple of years they’ve just taken in cats.

In the building, the Humane Society is keeping around 57 cats currently, while its maximum capacity is about 65. They also have some foster homes where cats can be kept before they’re adopted.

If the Humane Society is ever at capacity, they just don’t accept any new cats rather than euthanizing them for space. There’s a number of cats that have lived in the current building since the Humane Society moved there.

“Once we bring them in we’re responsible for them and so we want to keep them safe and keep them in a happy, healthy environment,” Andrew said.

The Humane Society doesn’t adopt cats out until they’ve had all their necessary shots and been spayed or neutered. There’s a $90 adoption fee for adopters, but being neutered and having the shots taken care of helps adopters save time and money. That adoption fee doesn’t even cover the costs of running the Humane Society, so it relies on “donations from the community and people who love cats, so we’re very grateful to those people,” Whiting said.

Whiting also pointed to the Humane Society’s voucher program which is a discounted spay and neuter program they have in conjunction with area veterinarians in Blackfoot. For anyone with a cat or dog that needs to be fixed but can’t afford the regular price, they can go to the Humane Society to purchase a voucher which can be taken to the veterinarian. Multiple vouchers can be purchased by an individual if they need more than one pet fixed.

Last year the Humane Society was able to adopt out 142 cats and this year they’ve adopted out 145 so far.

People who would like to donate to the Humane Society can send a check, come in and bring cash, or through PayPal. More information can be found at binghamcountyhumane.org and at its Facebook page. If people would like to volunteer, they can also find more information on the website.