June is Adopt a Cat Month, and a local animal shelter in the Perry community indicates they have a large selection to pick from.

Raccoon River Pet Rescue Shelter Manager Natalie Hanish demonstrates that cats that are brought in must weigh three pounds to have them spayed or neutered. She says they also will make sure the cats are up-to-date on their vaccinations, which cover distemper and rabies. Hanish offers suggestions on how to bring in a new cat to households that already have an animal.

“The ideal way to introduce a new cat is to have them in a separate room, so they can smell each other, and then it’s kind of based on how they’re acting and then you can introduce them slowly and if they’re not getting along then you separate them again. And it’s just kind of a gradual thing because some cats take a little bit longer than others, but that’s ideally the best way to do it.”

Hanish strongly advises anyone from taking a cat home for a trial, but mentions they are more than welcome to visit a cat in the shelter. However, she emphasizes that if a person adopts a cat and they realize they don’t want it, then they can return the feline, and get a full refund prior to seven days, otherwise after that, the transaction is non-refundable. 

She describes that pet owners are responsible for licensing their cats through the City of Perry, or other communities. Hanish acknowledges that there is a $50 adoption fee for people wanting to adopt a cat from their facility. She adds that the shelter has approximately 13 cats up for adoption. For more information, contact the Raccoon River Pet Rescue at (515)-465-1800 or visit https://www.raccoonriverpetrescue.com/.