This week, there were far more cats than had been there the last time I had a shift. It made me reflect on just how many people must live in Tompkins County. Out of the families who adopt cats, they probably only adopt one cat every 5-20 years. And yet, there is a huge amount of movement through the SPCA of Tompkins County. We have shifts every two weeks, and usually very few cats are still there for your next shift. There can be around 30 cats at one time, and yet when you return, very few are familiar. Compared to my home county, I think of Tompkins as very spread out with a fairly small population. But lots of cat adoptions means lots of families looking for a cat, which means lots of people! It is pretty remarkable to think about just how many people there are in the county (or state, or country, or continent), and it is really nice to do so with a cute little black cat in your lap.
That’s a lot of cats! It’s good to hear that many get adopted, I always find it disheartening when a friend gets a new cat or puppy from a breeder when so many great animals are in need of homes.
I love how you used the overwhelming amount of cats available for adoption to analyze the population size of Tompkins County. Hopefully, next year i will be of those actively looking to adopt a cat, as well.
That is so exciting! SPCA of Tompkins County is very good at providing lots of information on each cat, so you can have an idea of their personality before even meeting them. I’d highly recommend 🙂