Purrfect Pet Adoptions, Inc. began with the singular vision of two people: to provide safe, healthy homes for orphaned or abandoned cats in coastal southern North Carolina. Dr. Debora A. McArthur-Wicks and Kathy A. Reed began this organization as a volunteer effort, donating their time and their resources. As a veterinarian, Dr. McArthur-Wicks was able to offer her medical services and the facilities of her veterinary clinic. The employees of Surf City Pet Hospital shared the vision of providing homes to needy felines and also donated their time and resources to help cats in need. Purrfect Pet Adoptions was born of this need. Eight years later, Purrfect Pet Adoptions grew into a corporation and developed into a nonprofit entity. Over 600 adoptions later, Purrfect Pet Adoptions, Inc. is now averaging about 100 adoptions per year.
The process of adoption through Purrfect Pet Adoptions, Inc. is straightforward. Approximately 90% of the time it begins with a surrender of a cat or kitten by an individual. The remainder of the cats and kittens come from local shelters, most commonly the New Hanover, NC county shelter. Animals are then provided with feline leukemia and feline aids tests, followed by de-worming, flea treatment, then spay/neuter as appropriate. The costs associated with caring for these kittens is approximately $250 to $300 per cat. Kittens are bottle fed and raised in volunteer foster care families until such time that they are old enough to be adopted out from the Surf City Pet Hospital. Once they arrive at Surf City Pet Hospital for boarding, cats are cared for with much love and devotion by nine volunteer employees of Surf City Pet Hospital. Cats are also occasionally tended to by volunteers from local high schools.
Purrfect Pet Adoptions, Inc. finds adopters through word of mouth and advertising in the PawPrints magazine of Wilmington, NC. Potential adopters are screened using the application found here. Fees for adoption are $70 for one cat or $100 for two cats or kittens. The reason that there is a discounted rate for adopting two cats is to encourage people to adopt two sibling cats, since many of the cats up for adoption from the organization are related and were raised together. It has been found that kittens raised together tend to adjust better to a new home if they remain together, hence adopters are encouraged to keep sibling cats together when possible. 100% of the fees accepted for adoptions are reinvested in the organization by going directly toward the costs associated with caring for these animals. Purrfect Pet Adoptions is a no-kill shelter.
In addition to the primary goal of providing a cat adoption service in coastal southern North Carolina, the organization also aims to provide education to the general public regarding the availability of felines for adoption, and expects to use its website and, eventually, newsletter to achieve this goal. Both original content and reprinted articles will be presented with the purpose of educating the general public about cat adoption and cat adoption procedures. In addition, general information regarding feline health and behavioral issues will be presented.
