By Elena Schewe, news@alberleatribune.com

The Humane Society of Freeborn County and Ranch & Pet Supply will hold a special fee-waived adoption event on Friday and Saturday for National Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month.

On Friday, the hours are noon until 5 p.m. at the shelter. The shelter will accept and process applications until 4:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be at two locations that day: one at the shelter and another at Ranch & Pet Supply. Applications will be accepted until 11:30 a.m. due to vet office hours.

The shelter asks adopters to come with filled out applications in hand. These can be found online at www.hsfc.org or they can be picked up at the shelter beforehand. Vet references are also encouraged.

“Do your homework before you come,” said volunteer Dee Amberg. “Be patient. Look at them as a family. Adopting a cat is a lifetime commitment, so be financially and mentally prepared. Cats are not like kids or teenagers that you can just ship off to college when you get sick of them. They are for a lifetime.”

There are around 40 adult cats up for adoption at the shelter. The cats are all up-to-date with their vaccinations and are spayed or neutered. Each cat has its own story or background, and they all have a personality of their own, whether they be timid or hyper.

“Cats are a lot like people in the way they present themselves,” Amberg said. “We know the shy cat versus the outgoing cat. We try to guide and match up the cats for your particular lifestyle.”

A trait that they all have in common is that they are loving, she said. They all are looking for a loving family to take them in.

She said shelters can be stressful for animals as there are increased chances of sickness or behavioral issues.

“We want to get these cats out of the shelter as soon as possible into loving homes,” Amberg said. “We like to tell people to give the cats a good month and to be patient with them.”

The shelter has had this special event once before through the ASPCA with Ranch & Pet for an opportunity to win $500 worth of cat litter. The shelter gave its thanks to Michelle Nelson from Ranch & Pet Supply for her time and donations toward the Humane Society. Nelson has put a lot of time and money into the shelter, and just last month, raised $3,500 for the Humane Society.

For the rest of the month, in honor of National Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month, the Humane Society of Freeborn County will have the cat adoption fee at $30.