PORTLAND – Most cats tend to stay out of the rain, not dance in it, but a conspicuous pink cat that was about 6 feet tall showed up in Monument Square in Portland in Wednesday’s noontime drizzle, along with about 35 animal-loving friends, at a “flash mob” put on by the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.
The Westbrook-based shelter is dealing with a cat population it hasn’t seen in quite some time, and used the midday stunt to drum up support for adoptions. From Thursday through Sunday, the shelter is waiving fees to anyone wishing to adopt kittens or cats.
The event, according to Patsy Murphy, the shelter’s executive director, is geared toward curbing the influx of cats it has seen lately, most notably in the past few weeks.
Right now, she said, the shelter has 184 cats and kittens available for adoption. Murphy said she hopes to adopt them out quickly, to make room for another 184 kittens the shelter has in foster homes, awaiting medical care and other treatment before they can be adopted out.
“We’re probably seeing about 20 cats a day coming in,” Murphy said.
At the event, participants held up cards with pictures of cats on them, while Lynne McGhee, the shelter’s community relations manager, ran the event. Even minutes before beginning, shelter members were approaching people on the street, inviting them to take part.
At exactly noontime, McGhee cued up music, and sang her own song, “It’s Raining Cats,” which was loosely based on the Weathergirls’ “It’s Raining Men.” The group danced and sang along, while curious onlookers snapped pictures and video with cell phone cameras.
In true flash-mob style, many of the participants showed up after getting a last-minute email from the shelter.
“We got an email that said come out and support the (shelter),” said Beth Simpson of Portland, who has adopted two cats and a rabbit from the shelter in past years.
She works with Kelley Brown of Gorham at Unum in Portland, and the two came out on their lunch hour to take part. Brown said she also adopted a cat 15 years ago from the shelter.
“Hopefully (the event) gets the word out,” she said.
Murphy said large influxes of new animals available for adoption are not uncommon, but this is the largest amount the shelter has seen in the past three years.
Part of the reason the shelter is near capacity, Murphy said, is that the summer months are often times when the public is on vacation, attending events and participating in other activities, which leads to a lull in adoptions.
“We know there are many competing interests this time of year,” she said.
Murphy credited McGhee with coming up with the idea for the flash mob, saying, “Lynne is definitely thinking outside the cage on this one.”
McGhee acknowledged it was not the typical way to draw in new adopters, but with so many cats looking for homes, she said she was forced to get creative.
“This is certainly a new and unusual way to get the information out to the public, but with the need so great, we feel every avenue must be explored.”
Miss Kitty, a mascot for the Animal Refuge League of Greater
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