Posted: July 8, 2008 2 a.m. EDT
Cats and kittens displaced by floods near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, waited patiently as potential owners walked through the Kirkwood Community College Tippe Beef Center this weekend. People began lining up to see the cats around 8:30 a.m., anticipating the 10 a.m. start of the adoption event. By 11:30 a.m., 20 cats had been adopted, The (Iowa) Gazette reports.
A 3-month-old orange tabby kitten went home with Merri Hayes and her son, Dakota. Named Duncan Jr., or DJ for short, the kitten was a former stray displaced by the floods last month. Merri and Duncan waited in line nearly an hour for the chance to adopt a new pet. “This is a good opportunity to help out with rescuing the cats,” Hayes said.
The cats at the adoption event were strays or had no identified owners, according to Cedar Rapids police Sgt. Kent Choate, head of the department’s animal control division. All but 10 of the cats at the event went home with new families.
The smallest, most fragile kitten went home with Aleah Pohlmann, who was not put off by the kitten’s special needs. Pohlmann said that she lives alone and can give her new pet all the attention it needs.