Cats embark on road trip from Utah to Washougal

Gus, Garrison, Pips and Dingo are among the newest residents of the Camas-Washougal area.

The cats arrived in an SUV Saturday night, at the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, in Washougal. They were accompanied by the executive director and the clinic manager of the Cache Humane Society, in Logan, Utah.

The cats were greeted by WCGHS Cat Shelter Manager Ami Prevec and five volunteers.

The 29 felines, ranging in age from 8 months to 5 years old, are available for adoption.

“The cats are all very friendly and want love and attention,” Prevec said. “No one hissed when they were taken out of their crates.”

She said 50 cats were adopted from the WCGHS in November.

That almost cleared out the no-kill shelter.

“After reaching out to local groups in Washington and Oregon and finding out everyone is in a similar situation to us with a shortage of younger cats, we contacted Best Friends Animal Society,” Prevec said. “We are a network partner of theirs, and they reached out to more groups. They found another network partner in Utah that was over capacity with cats.

“These cats are coming to us with the initial vetting already done, so this is a big time and money saver for us and we are able to help cats get into homes more quickly,” she added.

The cats from Utah have been spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and received parasite control treatment.

They do not need foster homes, but Prevec said the WCGHS is always looking for people who can foster kittens and special needs cats.

“I think it is very important for people to understand that in order for us to adopt our older and special needs cats, we must have the public’s interest,” Prevec said. “If we have good traffic flow at the shelter and a good presence at our PetSmart and Petco adoption centers, we will be able to more quickly adopt some of the harder to place cats.”

The adoption rate for cats, age 6 months to 7 years, is $60 each. The fee for cats older than 7 years or with special needs is $40.