Newspaper Article 9-15-205 Published Amery Free Press and Osceola Sun

Our pet of the week is one purrfect feline. Buttercup is a two-year-old spayed female with striking torbie (tabby + tortoiseshell) coloring. She came to us as a found stray, and she’s the kind of cat who enjoys life on her own terms. Buttercup would thrive in a home that offers her the freedom to explore outside or spend time in a catio or climate-controlled outbuilding—always with the option of curling up indoors for snuggles when she chooses. She’s very affectionate (don’t let her yowl fool you!) and would likely make an excellent mouser.

Meanwhile, back at the shelter…we are on what feels like our third (maybe fourth?) wave of kitten season—honestly, we’ve lost track! The bottom line is, we are over capacity for both cats and dogs. If you’ve been considering adoption, now is the perfect time. Maybe your house feels a little too quiet with the kids back in school, or maybe they need a furry “study buddy” in the evenings. Not ready to commit? Fostering is a huge help too, giving pets a safe place to land while opening space here at the shelter.

With fall right around the corner, we also start receiving more calls and visits from people worried about outdoor cats as temperatures drop. First, we want to be clear: if you see an animal that appears injured, sick, or truly in danger, please call us! However, we do not accept walk-in cat surrenders or strays due to limited space.

If you do not want a cat to stay on your property, the best first step is not to feed it. Cats are experts at acting like they’re starving, but feeding encourages them to stick around. Many outdoor cats are “community cats” or free-roaming pets that already have homes. Research shows that most outdoor cats are healthier than we think—they have established food sources, shelter, and are skilled survivors. Indoor/outdoor cats are also far more likely to make it back home if they remain in the area they were found, rather than being relocated to a shelter. Friendly cats with collars almost always belong to someone nearby. By leaving them be, you give them the best chance to get back home safely.

We also want to send a big thank you to our community! The Dresser Lions and Ward’s Bar in Dresser hosted a meat raffle last Friday, raising $585 for the shelter. And on Saturday afternoon over in Osceola, Jack Pot’s Bar-N-Grill raised $840 for the pets in our care. We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support us—you make what we do possible.

Arnell Memorial Humane Society is located at 185 Griffin St E, Amery. We’re open weekdays from 12–5 PM and Saturdays 12–4 PM. You can reach us during those hours at (715) 268-PETS (7387). Visit us online at arnellhumane.org and check out our Amazon wish list at bit.ly/amhspets.