Tri-County Animal Rescue Dedicates New 'Sunshine' Cat Room; Extends "9 Lives For $9" Cat Adoption Program

Online, July 29, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Proving it's a true ‘cat’s meow’, the dedication drew a cross-section of Boca Raton City officials, Boca Raton Chamber ambassadors, pet advocates, and TCAR staff and volunteers, including off-duty fire fighters who often ‘rescue paws’ when they and their families are in life-threatening situations.

To share the celebration with South Florida cat lovers, the region’s largest 100% “no kill” 501(c) 3 animal rescue nonprofit also has extended the “9 Lives for $9” cat adoption program it launched this June in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society to run through Aug.31.

To accommodate the new facility, the shelter’s cat room that served as a temporary home to 719 rescues this year and yielded 310 successful adoptions, was gutted down to the beams and concrete floors, says TCAR Co-founder and Executive Director Suzi Goldsmith noting that the cat room was 10 years old and in dire need of renovation.  The $10,000 worth of enhancements included the demolition of existing walls and the installation of new dry wall, non-bacterial polyurethane floors, air-conditioning and vent/filter system, washer and dryer, litter boxes, scratching poles and shelving.

 “Since Tri-County operates solely on donations, sponsorships grants, and proceeds from special events and sales at our Downtown Boca thrift shop, we are grateful for our compassionate,
‘paw-passionate’ donors who underwrote the much-needed improvements,” Goldsmith notes.

The extensive renovations were made possible by the generosity of two feline-loving TCAR donors and the dedicated planning and construction oversight of longtime cat advocate and TCAR donor and volunteer Ardath Rosengarden who has long underwritten the operations for the cat room and medical care, including spaying and neutering services for its resident rescue cats and kittens. The 1,300-square-foot cat room was named in honor of Rosengarten’s beloved “Sunshine,” a black visually impaired domestic short hair cat rescue she adopted from TCAR.  The 120-square-foot patio enhancements were donated by TCAR Board Chair Harriet Lewis-Mooney, Esq. She and her husband share their home with five cats Runway, Jerry Lee, Amos Calhoon, and Merlin and eight dogs, Mo-Town, Sgt. Friday, Bonnie Sue, Buster, Bow Diddley, Lakota, Flo and Sophia.

“It is wonderful to see the cats and kittens once again playing, climbing on their scratching poles, snuggling in their beds in their new home and sunning on the patio,” says Lewis-Mooney. “I hope the area’s cat lovers come out to find their ‘feline favorite’ and take advantage of Tri-County’s
9 Lives for $9 cat adoption program. They so deserve a loving furever home as we make room to bring in more rescues from area shelters to ready for adoption.”

Goldsmith shared that thousands of cats and kittens are brought to shelters in South Florida each year - and they are at risk due to overpopulation. Tri-County’s 9 Lives for $9 adoption promotion means those seeking to adopt will pay a reduced adoption fee of $9 for cats 12 months and older; the program’s special discounted adoption fee for those under 12 months is $25.

“We at Tri-County are committed to do all we can to save as many as we can and find them homes,” she says.  With frequent cat adoption promotions, we hope to expedite opportunities for both our felines and those looking to adopt.”

Saving lives, one pet at a time, in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Martin counties and beyond, TCAR is a protective haven to thousands of abandoned, abused or neglected dogs and cats from other facilities in South Florida, Treasure Coast and as far as Sarasota, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Louisiana. A top-rated animal rescue center not limited to regional borders, TCAR has rescued more than 42,000 animals since its inception in 1996, offering homeless pets a welcoming forever home, either on campus or through carefully vetted adoptions that total more than 3,000 per year.

Located at 21287 Boca Rio Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33433, TCAR is open for adoptions during summer months until August 6th on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Beginning August 7th, TCAR will resume regular weekly schedule from Tuesdays-Sundays. For more information on TCAR, call (561) 482-8110