Perth’s Cat Haven is overcrowded, in an effort to encourage more people to adopt a cat, adoption fees have been waived this coming weekend for 400 plus cats.

The crew at Cat Haven have declared that they are officially bursting at the seams with more than 400 cats desperately needing homes.

Western Australia’s premier cat shelter will waive adoption fees this Anzac Day weekend in a massive adoption drive for cats more than six months old.

Other rescue organisations overwhelmed with cats will also waive fees from 10am on Thursday, 25 April to 4pm on Sunday 28th April in a bid to reduce cat numbers in their care. Cat Haven will be open on Anzac Day and all weekend.

Cat Haven’s Marketing Coordinator Amber Ashford said the overcrowding situation had put the Haven in crisis.

“Staff, volunteers and foster carers are almost at breaking point with the responsibility of having more than 400 cats on the grounds and more than 700 cats out in temporary foster care,” she said.

“A large number of cats have been surrendered in the last few months due to the continuing kitten season, housing crisis and cost of living.

“The overcrowding is far from ideal. While we are determined to continue to provide high quality care for these wonderful felines, it is far preferable they receive the love and attention that only adoption or foster can completely provide.

“Although we really need the funds generated from adoption fees, we are left with no alternative than to adopt out adult cats with no adoption fees.”

Ashford said Cat Haven took in more than 7,500 unwanted cats in the last year, but cat adoptions had slowed, and many cats had been cooped up in the shelter for a long time.

“We are completely full, with some cats housed in dog crates and carriers, instead of in cat condos,” she said.

“With all other WA rescues under pressure, most of them have had to close their intake, meaning the overflow comes to Cat Haven. By being the only open admission shelter in WA we are seeing this pressure increase by up to 70 cats coming to us daily. Without high adoption numbers we are constantly going backwards.”

All normal stringent adoption procedures apply, with anyone adopting from the shelter or from foster.

Perth Rescue Angels will be joining Cat Haven over the weekend. Laura from the rescue has explained why they are joining.

“With over 850 cats and kittens currently in foster care, a huge rise in surrender numbers in the last 6 months and a big decrease in adoptions, the current cat crisis in WA has affected our organisation so much that we have had to suspend our intakes, which puts further pressure on other organisations like Cat Haven WA.

“The high cost of living, high interest rates and the rental crisis is having a huge knock-on effect to shelter and rescues across Australia.

“Young friendly kittens that would usually be adopted as soon as they are ready, are waiting weeks, even months for their forever homes.

“We have even had to reduce our adoption fee on some of our older kittens to entice people to adopt them. When the opportunity arose to participate in Fee Free we had to jump at the chance to help get our kitties into their forever homes.”

When Cat Haven has done fee free in the past there were no increases in cats being returned after adoption. There were also a number of customers who donated significant amounts of money, despite the adoption being fee free.

People can meet their new best friend at the Cat Haven in Shenton Park. Adoptions are open 10am – 5:45pm Monday Wednesday, 10am-6:30pm Thursday & Friday, 10am-4pm weekends.