[ASPCA] – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced a grant totaling nearly $1 million to Los Angeles Animal Services and the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care & Control to facilitate life-saving adoptions of homeless pets in Los Angeles.

Part of the grant will cover cat adoption fees for qualified adopters – cats over four months of age in the six Los Angeles City animal shelters, and all cats and kittens in the six Los Angeles County animal shelters. The grant will also cover “make-ready” fees typically incurred by qualified rescue groups when they retrieve cats, kittens, pit bull type dogs, and Chihuahuas from city and county shelters.

“Despite the best efforts of city and county shelters and rescue groups, the situation for cats in Los Angeles remains dire – over half of the cats who enter city and county shelters never come out,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president & CEO. “ASPCA research has shown that waiving cat adoption fees drives new and responsible prospective owners to shelters, dramatically impacting the lives of thousands of shelter cats whose futures are endangered.”

Bershadker adds, “We also want to support local rescue groups by subsidizing fees they pay when moving animals most at risk – adult cats, Chihuahuas, and pit bull type dogs – out of city shelter systems to improve their chances of finding safe and loving homes.”

The funding, which will provide $520,000 to the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care & Control and $400,000 to the City of Los Angeles Animal Services, will go into effect immediately.

“We thank the ASPCA for this funding, which will bring more attention to the thousands of cats in L.A. city shelters waiting for loving homes,” said Brenda Barnette, general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services. “We are looking forward to welcoming the community to our shelters to meet the amazing shelter pets waiting for a loving home of their own.”

“It takes the whole community to help animals in need, and we hope that this program will provide even more incentive for the public to consider helping cats in their communities,” said Marcia Mayeda, director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control. “We are grateful to the ASPCA for this grant and encourage the public to visit a city or county shelter and consider giving a cat a home.”

While fees will be waived, all adoption policies and procedures remain in effect, including existing criteria for potential adopters.

This grant program is part of the ASPCA’s overall commitment to save the lives of animals in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The multi-pronged effort includes a free spay/neuter clinic serving South Los Angeles, a safety net program designed to keep animals in their homes and out of the Los Angeles County shelter system, a relocation program to move animals from shelters in the Los Angeles metropolitan area to communities where they will have better chances of being adopted, and grants to local partners, including funding for intervention programs, spay/neuter programs, and medical care for animals in low-income areas. Since launching in 2014, tens of thousands of animals have been assisted by these programs.

For more information on adopting from Los Angeles Animal Services, visit: http://www.laanimalservices.com.

For more information on adopting from the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care & Control, visit: http://animalcare.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/acc.

About the ASPCA

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.