First State-wide Cat Adoption Event Exceeds Goal

2,395 Cats and Kittens Find Homes during Month-long Maryland 2,000 Adoption Promotion

BALTIMORE—(August 2, 2017)—Eighteen Maryland animal shelters exceeded their combined goal and found new homes for 2,395 homeless cats and kittens in July during the inaugural, statewide Maryland 2,000 Saving Lives Across Maryland adoption promotion organized by the Baltimore County Animal Services, Baltimore Humane Society, BARCS and the Maryland SPCA—all members of the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance (BAWA).

“Animal shelters all across Maryland see an increase in unwanted cats and kittens during the summer months, known as kitten season,” said Katie Flory, director of community affairs at the Maryland SPCA. “Because it’s critical that we find them all loving new homes so shelters can continue to take in homeless pets, Baltimore County Animal Services, Baltimore Humane Society, BARCS and the Maryland SPCA partnered together and invited other Maryland shelters to join us in one statewide, month-long adoption event—the Maryland 2,000 with a goal of finding homes for 2,000 cats and kittens.”

While regular adoption procedures at all participating shelters still applied, each participating shelter waived their adoption fees for cats and kittens beginning on July 1 and continued through July 31.

Prior to this year’s Maryland 2,000 adoption promotion, Baltimore County Animal Services, Baltimore Humane Society, BARCS, Humane Society of Harford County and the Maryland SPCA partnered each June since 2009 and found homes for more than 6,000 cats and kittens from Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County during their Baltimore 500: A Race to Save Lives month-long adoption promotion.

“While we are so proud of the number of pets that found homes over the years during the Baltimore 500, expanding the event to include shelters all across the state has made such a larger impact on saving lives and finding new homes for even more cats and kittens,” said Flory. “The Maryland 2,000 resulted in an increase of 26% of cat and kitten adoptions (497) from our 18 shelters compared to last year.”