The Heritage Center was filled with roughly 200 people Thursday evening, drawn by a somewhat unusual mélange – a love of cats and Elvis. The event was a fundraiser for the Cat’s Meow No-Kill Rescue and Adoption Center, an all-volunteer organization founded by Barbara Eakins.
There was no caterwauling – the Heritage Center wouldn’t allow any furry friends to attend. Instead, Elvis impersonator Glennelvis, a.k.a. Glenn Orndorff, was enthusiastically cheered on by the crowd, singing a selection of classic Elvis favorites. The evening also featured a hearty spaghetti dinner donated by Plum Tomato, and numerous silent auction items.
That cats and dogs should be spayed or neutered before maturity is something true animal lovers understand. Unfortunately, far too many irresponsible pet owners choose to ignore the obvious, resulting in an overpopulation of animals.
“We try to help as many cats as possible,” said Eakins, whose Cat’s Meow facility, at its current 126 43rd Avenue location in Vero Beach since July 2013, relies on donations of food, litter and money to survive. Eakins had previously volunteered as a foster parent for H.A.L.O. in Sebastian and decided to open a shelter in South County to help out.
“I’ve loved animals all my life and I’ve had animals all my life,” she said. “In the three years I’ve been in business, I’ve had over 1,000 adoptions. We rescue cats and little kittens. Sometimes it’s a pregnant cat, and then we make sure that all the kittens and the mothers get fixed, so we have no more babies from them. Plus, they get all their shots.”
The county has capped its holding capacity at 50, so adoptions are critical, which are promoted through adoption days at Pet Supermarket, flyers and word of mouth.
“We would love a larger facility, but that would take a lot of money,” said Eakins. “We need many, many more people to come in to adopt, because we are maxed out.”
Cats are kept until they find a home, and Eakins explains, “We have some cages, but some of the cats who have been here for a while just roam around. They don’t want to be in a cage all day. We just let them come out to play from time to time.”
At the event were many of the volunteers who assist with the operation, including cat socialization, cleaning cages, transporting to the vet and manning adoption tables at Pet Supermarket. There were also a number of volunteers from Raining Cats Rescue, and Dogs and Cats Forever.
“I just have a very big love for cats, and wanted to participate in helping Barbara and the cats,” said Cat’s Meow volunteer Kristen Ricciardi.
Linda Richter from Raining Cats, said their organization, which began as a field operation for H.A.L.O., is the Petco adoption partner.
“I actually work for both these organizations,” said Lisa Mead. “I want to try to reduce the overpopulation and prevent the need for euthanasia. I work with no-kill shelters to have cats spayed and neutered and find them appropriate homes.”
Robert Winter, owner of Carpet & Tile Warehouse, said he donates $1 to Cat’s Meow for every yard of Stainmaster PetProtect carpet they sell. “Barbara needs all the help she can get. She’s just doing an incredible, very humane thing,” he added.
