By Andie Foley
andie.foley@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As summer months draw to a close, the Rowan County Animal Shelter continues to see a near constant flow of of stray and owner-surrendered animals.

To combat a nearly full facility, the shelter will once more offer an adoption special from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday.

According to shelter veterinarian Dr. Mari Maristany, numbers of found and surrendered cats increased dramatically in late April, moving from from seven to eight per day to more than 30.

Numbers of surrendered and found dogs see little increase in the summer months, she said.

“They come in by the boxful: kittens and half-grown cats,” she said. “It happens daily. It’s overwhelming the number of cats we’re receiving.”

Maristany said that these high numbers are somewhat mitigated through the help of a huge network of rescue organizations, with some animals traveling as far as Maryland for temporary foster.

Now that the shelter offers spaying and neutering on site, Maristany said fosters and rescues are able to easier secure the animals permanent homes. No cat over the age of four months is leaving the shelter without being spayed or neutered, she said.

But the rescues can’t make up for quadruple increase in feline intakes, meaning the shelter has increased adoption specials from once a quarter to twice a month.

During Wednesday’s event, all pet adoptions will be 80 percent off the standard price, making adoptions $16 for animals that haven’t been spayed or neutered and $3 for those that have.

At a similar promotion on Sept. 12, more than 100 animals were adopted: 106 cats and 10 dogs.

All animals that are adopted through the shelter are provided vaccinations, a microchip and a sample of free food. Both dogs and cats are dewormed.

For dogs, vaccines include a 5-in-1 treatment for adenovirus cough and hepatitis, distemper, parainfluenza and parvovirus. Dogs are also vaccinated for bordetella.

Cats are given a 3-in-1 vaccine against rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and feline distemper.

Both dogs and cats are given a one-year rabies vaccine if age-appropriate. “Unaltered” animals come with a $70 voucher to be spayed or neutered.