After hugely successful adoption events in 2011 and 2012, ASAP, the nonprofit organization which takes care of all of the cats at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter in Goleta, is hosting its third annual Certified Pre-Owned Cat Free Adoption Event. The special adoption weekend, to be held on Saturday, August 17 (10am to 4pm) and Sunday, August 18 (10am to 2pm), waives the regular $75 adoption fee and offers adult cats to qualified adopters with $0 down, 0% financing, and no down payments – completely FREE, except for a lifetime commitment to provide love and care to a healthy, adoptable shelter cat.

Throughout Santa Barbara County, cats and kittens are flooding into shelters and rescue groups, especially as “kitten season” swells the number of animals needing homes. There are 70 adoptable adult cats waiting for homes at ASAP, and over 40 adoptable kittens, plus more than 60 kittens living in foster care. In addition to the cats and kittens arriving daily, ASAP is committed to helping out the overwhelmed North County shelters in Lompoc and Santa Maria by taking some of those cats and kittens as space permits. The Certified Pre-Owned Cat Free Adoption Event makes it possible to get many of these cats into homes more quickly, improving their quality of life while reducing the strain on the county’s shelters.

ASAP, the first organization working with a municipal shelter in the U.S. to stop the killing of adoptable cats for population control, became the first animal rescue organization in the region to offer free adoptions when it held the first Certified Pre-Owned Cat Sale in 2011. This first event was a huge success, with 76 cats adopted out to suitable homes, and the second event in 2012 was expanded county-wide and resulted in 87 cats sleeping in new homes instead of the shelter by the weekend’s close. The excitement these events generated brought ten times the usual number of people to the Santa Barbara shelter, and drew attention to the problem of cat overpopulation and the need for responsible cat lovers to bring a shelter cat or kitten into their lives. Some adopters came to “shop” in advance and were so taken with a cat that they chose to adopt in advance and pay the full fee, rather than miss out on their dream companion. And several of ASAP’s long term resident cats – who had been at the shelter a year or longer – at last found homes and life outside a cage.

The previous two years successes, modeled on similar events held by other well established animal welfare organizations nationwide and supported by the ASPCA® and Maddie’s Fund, made it possible for ASAP to take additional cats from the county’s other facilities, quickly finding them homes as well. Because of the success of last year’s event and the overwhelming community support, the Santa Maria Animal Center is joining ASAP in the Certified Pre-Owned Cat Sale event this year. In addition to increasing adoptions at the Santa Maria shelter, it is expected that this year’s special will free up space at ASAP to bring down more cats from the overwhelmed North County, increasing their chances of getting adopted.

In keeping with the Certified Pre-Owned theme, ASAP is letting the public know that it all makes and models of adult cats: black cats, white cats, orange cats, striped cats, Siamese cats, old and new models, cute cats, ugly cats, couch potato cats, total purr machines and crazy cats…even a few scratch and dent models!! Any combination is waiting to be adopted at the same low cost — FREE!

If adopters are looking for a 2013 model with that new kitten smell, ASAP has those in stock too! During the special event, kittens will be 2-for-1 or (only $75 for a pair)—well below sticker price!

All cats and kittens come with a Standard 4-Paw Drive, 100,000 Purr Warranty and a Multi-Point Inspection, including a vet exam, spay/neuter, age appropriate vaccinations, FeLV and FIV screening, deworming, flea treatment, and microchip. Sorry, No Trade-Ins!!

All potential adopters must meet ASAP’s standard adoption criteria, including homeownership verification or landlord approval. A driver’s license or other valid identification is required for all adoptions. Potential adopters are encouraged to visit ASAP prior to the event to check out the wide array of floor models—all makes and models of cats and kittens are in stock! Adopters can also expedite the adoption process by completing the homeowner verification and/or landlord approval process in advance.

ASAP is proud to partner with Santa Barbara County Animal Services with this landmark event.

ASAP’s Free Adoption Event is Saturday, August 17 from 10am-4pm and Sunday, August 18 from 10am-2pm.

ASAP is located at 5473 Overpass Road in Goleta, CA.

For more information, please call 805-683-3368 or visit www.asapcats.org.

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