N icky doesn’t high-five. He head-butts instead, which is normal behavior for cats. The feline suffers from a kidney disease and had been living at Coastal Humane Society’s shelter in Brunswick for months, until shelter volunteer Russ Kinne caved in and adopted him.
“He seduced me. I’ve admired him every time I passed his cage,” said Kinne of Topsham. “I’m a dog person, but Nicky is a very nice cat. He’s a good diplomat. He’s done a lot for Catdom.”
That’s a little short of Coastal’s goal of 822, but still about twice as many animals compared to the same time last year. Staff, volun- teers and board members said that’s no small feat, considering that their shelter was closed unexpectedly, but temporarily, over the summer.
The number of animals placed in homes earned Coastal Humane third place in its division and 18 out of 50 shelters nationwide, bringing the shelter a $5,000 grant.
Combined with other grants from the challenge this summer, Coastal Humane has won $15,000.
“This is why I call Coastal the little shelter that could,” said Coastal Humane Interim Executive Director Mary Fifield at a gathering Tuesday to celebrate the results. “The important number is 804, because we managed to double (adoptions) over last summer. It’s a win not just for us but for our volunteers, the people that adopted the animals, and the community at large.”
Shelter veterinarian Mandie Wehr said she is sure Coastal Humane would have exceeded its goal had it not been for the mandatory quarantine. Five puppies transferred to Coastal from a shelter in Alabama were found to have a fungal infection that prompted the closure.
Despite the ringworm and the closure, Wehr said she wouldn’t hesitate to take in animals from other shelters in Maine and in other states that may not have room.
“If you have space, the best thing that you can do is save a life,” said Wehr.
Wehr said she was thrilled with the amount of support shown by the community during adoption events throughout the summer.
Fifield agreed: “It was amazing how willing people are to get behind Coastal.”
In honor of the 804 animals, Coastal Humane will be holding a Celebration Adoption event Friday through Sunday during regular hours. Coastal Humane is waiving the adoption fee for all cats over 1-year-old. The fee is half-off for all other animals. Go to www.coastalhumanesociety.org for more information.
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
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