SPCA
A new lease on cats’ lives at Galleria
Shoppers at the Walden Galleria might be startled by its newest addition: cats.
A new SPCA satellite cat adoption center will open late next week in vacant space on the mall’s second level near Macy’s. Shoppers can adopt their new furry feline friends right from the store.
The new spot could not have been possible without donations. Richard Lewis, chief executive of the Talking Phone Book, and his wife, Lisa, gave $12,000 after reading Donn Esmonde’s Aug. 6 column in The Buffalo News about overcrowding at the SPCA. Both that donation and another anonymous gift will finance the project.
“How many times do you get to save a life?” Lewis said. “This is one of them.”
Last year, 131 cats were euthanized at the Erie County shelters. This year, the organization made a commitment not to put down any healthy, adoptable cats. They kept that pledge until late last month, when severe overcrowding at both shelters forced the SPCA to euthanize six.
SPCA spokeswoman Gina Browning said that opening satellite locations dramatically increases adoptions.
“If we just sit and wait for people to drive to shelters, forget it. We’re done,” she said.
Lewis, who has five cats at home, first visited the SPCA for a tour last winter. He observed hundreds of cats in cages, all waiting for a new family to take care of them. Many cats were even in the building’s conference room because of the overcrowding, but all were well taken care of by the SPCA staff, he said.
“They are the most dedicated group of people I have ever met,” he said.
While the number of euthanizings is down, Browning said the SPCA cannot rest until every healthy, adoptable cat has a home.
“Until [the number of euthanizings ] hits zero, I don’t know it’s worth celebrating,“ she said.
The cats at the mall will already be spayed or neutered, dewormed, tested for feline leukemia and have received a rabies vaccination, Browning said. Those who adopt from the Galleria also will receive a coupon for a free first visit to a vet, as well as 30 days of insurance in case the pet falls ill.
Browning said area residents are much more educated now on caring for stray and neglected animals than when she began working at the SPCA in 1990. Many more residents now understand that the SPCA is funded primarily through donations, she said.
The center, opening at noon Thursday, will be open whenever the mall is open, and will continue through September.
For more information, visit the SPCA’s Web site at http://yourspca. org.
