Flabulous Felines Find Families By the end of January 2008, the

150 Corporation Yard Road, Roseville, CA 95678 Ph: 916.782.7722 / 530.885.7387 Fax: 916.782.8655
www.placerspca.org
Flabulous Felines Find Families
By the end of January 2008, the Placer SPCA found itself with more than a dozen
overweight cats. The influx of large, typically older cats impacted our center’s capacity to house all
felines, as each large cat required a large cage by itself. These cages are usually used for siblings or
multiple cats surrendered together. Older cats, especially those with special needs, are hard to place
in comparison to the influx of a large kitten population that occurred at the same time.
The confinement of shelter cages can be detrimental to a plus-size cat’s health by limiting
movement and opportunity for exercise. Overweight cats face the same health dangers as
overweight humans, such as diabetes and heart disease, and the Placer SPCA staff felt that it was
very important that these cats not spend very long at the shelter.
In order to encourage adoptions of these special cats, during the month of February we
offered “Flabulous Felines Free to a Good Home” month. We waived the usual $95 adoption fee.
Promotion of our special was done through local media outlets and the four local Chambers of
Commerce. We received coverage in The Sacramento Bee (attached) and the local Fox network
affiliate, and aired an interview on a local radio station.
Local author Martha Garvey, upon reading about our Fat Cat special, donated several signed
copies of her book “My Fat Cat: Ten Simple Steps to Help Your Pet Lose Weight for a Long and
Happy Life.” In addition to a copy of the book for the first few to adopt, adopters received special
counseling to understand the needs of their plump new pets. As a result of our outreach efforts, 11
Placer SPCA
Page Two
of the 12 hard-to-adopt overweight cats were adopted during the promotion, with the twelfth going
home a few weeks later.
In addition to the overweight cats adopted, the promotion increased awareness of our facility
and brought traffic to the center, resulting in an increase in overall cat adoptions.
The Placer SPCA, like all animal rescue and sheltering organizations, struggles to place the
large number of cats brought in. In October 2008, for instance, our center housed 181 cats,
compared to 37 dogs. In order to educate the public about our center and bring in potential
adopters, we hold a special each month. Generally, the adoption fee is lowered to $25 for the “cats
of the month”; in February the adoption fee was waived entirely because of the urgency of the need
for these cats to be adopted.
Those who adopt at the lower fee receive all the services regularly provided at the usual fee,
including spaying or neutering, microchipping, leukemia/feline AIDS testing, and vaccinations.
Our actual expenses, not fully covered at the lower fee, are subsidized with donations and other fees
for services.
We have a partnership with a local radio station to help with the promotions, and members
of our staff use their creativity to highlight the specials. For instance, in March a “pot of gold” was
placed in the lobby from which different colored coins were drawn. The different coins represented
additional discounts to the adoption fee.
We are especially proud of the Flabulous Feline special because of the impact on the
animals’ health that a long stay in the center could have. However, we make a special effort each
month for the benefit of the many cats housed here. Overcrowding can seriously impact the center,
leading to disease transmission and other problems. We will continue to develop new ideas to adopt
all our animals to loving homes.
150 Corporation Yard Road, Roseville, CA 95678 Ph: 916.782.7722 / 530.885.7387 Fax: 916.782.8655
www.placerspca.org
Meet Cydrick
Cydrick, weighing in at 21 pounds, was the largest of the “Flabulous Felines” at the Placer SPCA
in February 2008. At his size, his movements were severely restricted even in our largest cat
cage. He was adopted as a result of our promotion.
150 Corporation Yard Road, Roseville, CA 95678 Ph: 916.782.7722 / 530.885.7387 Fax: 916.782.8655
www.placerspca.org
2008 Cat Specials
February:
Flabulous Felines Free to Good Home
11 of 12 overweight cats adopted
March:
Kitties at the End of the Rainbow
25 green-eyed cats adopted
April:
Spring Showers Bring May Kittens
54 adult cats (over the age of one) adopted
May:
Celebrate Mothers
37 female cats adopted (spayed, of course!)
June:
Paws for your Pa
17 male cats adopted (neutered, of course!)
July:
The Color of Independence
14 tortoiseshell and calico cats adopted
August:
Go for the Gold
15 gold-eyed cats adopted
September:
Fall Fashions: Everything Goes with Black
64 black cats and kittens adopted
150 Corporation Yard Road, Roseville, CA 95678 Ph: 916.782.7722 / 530.885.7387 Fax: 916.782.8655
www.placerspca.org
The Sacramento Bee
February 5, 2008
(followup embedded in second column February 7, 2008 – please see separate Attachment 5)
Lisa Heyamoto: Honeymoon surprise for Yolo couple - Sacramento News - Local and Br... Page 1 of 2
This story is taken from Sacbee / Our Region / Lisa Heyamoto
Lisa Heyamoto: Honeymoon
surprise for Yolo couple
lheyamoto@sacbee.com
Published Thursday, Feb. 07, 2008
Fun fact: In the 1950s, Woodland was said to have had more millionaires per capita than any
other city in California.
If you lived there, you might know that. But if you live farther afield, you might not even
know where Woodland is.
Which is pretty much what a Woodland couple on their honeymoon expected when they
started chatting up Richard Breedon in Geneva, Switzerland.
Breedon was there, as he often is, as part of his job as a high-energy particle physicist for
UC Davis. Brian and Shelley Rice were there because their travel agent mistakenly booked
them a flight home from Geneva instead of Genoa, Italy, an error that took two countries
and a train ride to remedy.
Breedon ended up showing the couple around the city, and he and his wife even met up with
them back in Sacramento to relive the tale.
And you don't have to be a high-energy particle physicist to know that it's a pretty cool one.
***
Adopt an overweight cat from the Placer Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and
you won't have to pay per pound. A shame they don't sell cat food that way.
But if you're going to take advantage of the free, fat felines that I wrote about Tuesday, New
Jersey writer Martha Garvey wants to sweeten the deal for the next three adopters by
throwing in an autographed copy of her book, "My Fat Cat: Ten Simple Steps to Help Your
Pet Lose Weight For a Long and Happy Life."
Speaking of per pound, she'll even pay for the shipping.
For further information, go to www.placerspca.org.
http://www.sacbee.com/heyamoto/v-print/story/694231.html
10/31/2008
Lisa Heyamoto: Honeymoon surprise for Yolo couple - Sacramento News - Local and Br... Page 2 of 2
***
Perhaps it escaped your attention that Feb. 5 was Shrove Tuesday. Don't feel bad. You had a
lot going on.
Had you remembered, though, you might have gone out of your way to enjoy some
pancakes because folks traditionally use up all their butter and eggs on the eve of Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is colloquially known as Pancake Day in more than a few parts of the world.
But here in the U.S., it can't compete with The Man, and IHOP accordingly pushed back its
celebration of National Pancake Day by a week to give Super Tuesday its day in the sun.
So mark your calendars for Feb. 12, when you can get a free short stack at participating
IHOP's in an effort to raise awareness for Children's Miracle Network.
Why the two Tuesdays should be mutually exclusive is a mystery. Everyone knows 2000 was
the year of the buttermilk ballot.
***
Speaking of Super Tuesday, it was a good day to be a Ron Paul fan.
The local returns-watching party was off the hook. They, like, totally packed that back room
at the Roseville Round Table with celebrities, a DJ and a line out the door. You should have
been there, man, it was awesome.
Yeah, not really. As the returns crept in, the Paul party had dwindled to three young voters
on their last sip of beer, dreaming up a celebration that equaled their passion.
None of the TV stations was mentioning Paul's progress. Radio proved much the same. Even
the hallowed newspaper, they said, had given their candidate short shrift.
"And trust me," 28-year-old Jeremy Plog said, "I'm looking."
But lest you fear for Paul's fate – the group decidedly did not – consider that the physician
still delivers babies on the weekend, which is one way to ensure a future vote.
Call The Bee's Lisa Heyamoto, (916) 321-1261.
http://www.sacbee.com/heyamoto/v-print/story/694231.html
10/31/2008