After a six-month hiatus, Sarah Ashe has returned to her former position as feline manager at the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook. Ashe, 29, who lives in South Portland, left to work at a veterinarian’s office after working at the Animal Refuge League for two years. However, the cat lover couldn’t stand being away from her feline friends at the Animal Refuge League – and she came back to plenty of them. Currently, there are more than 200 cats at the shelter looking for homes. Last week, Ashe sat down with the American Journal to talk about why there are so many cats at the Animal Refuge League and what the shelter is doing to help them find new families.
Q: Why is there a sudden influx of cats at the shelter this month?
A: It’s pretty typical for summertime. It’s breeding season, and we’ve had a really warm spring. That could be part of it. Usually it’s later – August, September. Last year, we didn’t have this many in June. Usually we’re at about 180 to 190 in the summertime. Right now, we have about 250 in the shelter alone. That’s not including all of the kittens in foster care. Kittens can’t be adopted until they’re 8 weeks old. That’s spay and neuter age. This week, two separate mom and kitten groups went into foster care. That’s 12 animals right there.
Q: What is the shelter doing to find homes for the cats?
A: For cats who are 1 to 9 years old, the adoption fee is reduced from $75 to $25. The fee is being waived for cats over 10 and cats who have special needs. The kitten fee is still $150.
Q: Why did you decide to return to your position at the Animal Refuge League?
A: I missed the cats. I’m a cat girl. There’s something about them. They’re all really different. There’s a common belief that all cats have the same personality, but they all have very unique personalities. Some like to snuggle close, others like to hide under the sofa. There are some 15-year-old cats you see playing with toys. It’s pretty cool.
Q: What are your duties as feline manager?
A: Basically, I’m responsible for all the cats here and the staff that works with them daily. I work with doctors, organizing all the veterinary stuff, making sure they all get assessed, and I work with the foster care coordinator.
Q: What were you doing for work before you came back to the Animal Refuge League?
A: I worked at a veterinarian’s office. It was a good experience for broadening my knowledge on the veterinary side of things. It was fun, but there were too many dogs.
Q: What kind of background do you have in working with animals?
A: I have a degree in criminology from the University of Southern Maine. I did my senior paper on animal abuse. I went from there to the Stratham shelter in New Hampshire, which is with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I worked on the investigations for cruelty cases. So, that was sort of related to my degree. I was commuting, so when a job opened here, I came and sort of worked my way through to become feline manager, which was a new position. It’s a lot of fun.
Q: How many cats do you have?
A: I have a 16-year-old from here. She’s hyperthyroid. I have another cat that was formerly feral from here. Now, she’s a really sweet kitten. I have an 11 year old and a 7 year old. One’s from here and one’s from the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk. And I have a dog, a pitbull mix feral hound. It’s quite the crew. It’s like gang wars in my house. They all have their little territories.
Q: What message would you like to send out to people who have or are thinking about getting a cat?
A: Please spay and neuter your cats. The sheer number of litters a female cat can produce is staggering. It’s such a huge thing for people to get their animals spayed and neutered.
Sarah Ashe, feline manager at the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook, holds Miss, an 18-year-old brown tiger cat. Miss is one of about 250 cats at the shelter waiting to find a home.Send questions/comments to the editors.
