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Animal shelters have increased adoption efforts during the holidays to find cats and kittens new homes.
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Since Nov. 5, animal shelters across the United States and in 14 other countries have held adoption events and increased adoption efforts as part of the Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays campaign. The goal is to place 410,000 cats and dogs in new homes by Jan. 3, 2008. So far, more than 240,000 homeless pets have gone home with new families.
The campaign started in 1999, when the Helen Woodward Animal Center of San Diego, Calif., invited other San Diego-area shelters to increase awareness of homeless animals during the busy holiday months. The first year, 2,563 cats and dogs found new homes. The program has continued to grow, with adoption goals increasing every year.
“This is pretty simple,” John Van Zante, public relations manager for the Helen Woodward Animal Center, said. “More families invite new pets into their homes during the holiday season than at any other time of year. All we’re doing is providing the shelters and rescue groups with the tools they need to generate public interest.”
The shelter that started the program has had good success so far in 2007, the ninth year of the campaign. Ninety-eight cats and kittens, and 159 dogs and puppies, have been adopted from the shelter since the campaign began this year.
To learn more about Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays, visit the campaign’s website.