Good Mews provides personal touch in CAT ADOPTION

Kendra Ledlow knows that cats can have many of the same qualities as humans.

The Good Mews director of operations recognizes that each cat has a personality, life experiences, both strengths and weaknesses and sometimes health issues that make each cat unique.

That’s why Good Mews operates a kitty buddy program for their cats that need help through the adoption process, whether it be because they have a health issue or they are just shy, in need of a familiar face.

A volunteer is paired with a kitten and that volunteer is the familiar face that helps the kitten through the process.

“It’s almost like the Big Brother/ Big Sister program,” Ledlow said.

Good Mews won the vote for top Pet Adoption Agency in the 2023 Best of Cobb Contest.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic adjustments, adoptions have accelerated. In 2020, they jumped from more than 100 in a year to 579.

Then, over the past few years, that trend continued with 601 in 2021 and 642 in 2022 heading into Good Mews’ 35th anniversary this month.

After all of the shelter’s cats went to foster homes during parts of 2020, some things have returned to how they were before and some have advanced, such as the online systems that help Good Mews do everything from adopt to volunteer.

TOP LEFT: Good Mews started a spay/ neuter program in 2018 that has grown from 200 surgeries in 2018 to 3,569 last year.

TOP MIDDLE: Good Mews top Pet Adoption Agency in the 2023 Best of Cobb Awards. More than 11,700 cats have been adopted since Good Mews opened in 1988.

TOP RIGHT: Good Mews staff and animals lovers alike say that cats can have many of the same qualities as humans.

BOTTOM LEFT: Good Mews, located at 3805 Robinson Road in Marietta, has a capacity of 100 cats at the shelter with another up to 50 at the shelter’s 45 available volunteer foster homes.

BOTTOM RIGHT: The main room at Good Mews is a popular spot for pets and owners to meet up before adoption during weekend adoption events from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

At any one time, Good Mews has a capacity of 100 cats at the shelter, located at 3805 Robinson Road in Marietta, and the remainder – up to 50 - at the 45 available foster homes. Many can be viewed online in what Good Mews calls the “CATalog” and potential foster homes can register on the shelter’s website at goodmews.org under the volunteer tab.

After filling out the paperwork, an appointment can be setup for a cat meet and greet to enable an adoption. Ledlow said that some are surprised that the cat they came in hoping to adopt isn’t the cat that they end up choosing. Or the one that chooses them.

“We’re special because we treat every cat as an individual,” Ledlow said. “We try to prioritize quality over quantity.”

It’s a process where the cat and owners have a choice and can see how they work together. Good Mews assists in that process with a questionnaire to help match owners with the right pet.

The shelter has adoption events from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays or weekdays by appointment.

There are usually anywhere from five to eight volunteers at Good Mews for the weekend events of the 30 volunteers on the adoption committee.

“Sometimes the cats just pick the people and nobody has to really work too hard for that other than the cat picking out their person,” Ledlow said.

While at the shelter, cats live in a cage-free environment as they wait to become one of the more than 11,700 cats adopted since Good Mews opened in 1988.

“Rescue is, in general, tinted with a sadness,” said Good Mews Animal Foundation Board of Directors President Elizabeth Finch. “But this is a happy place, with cats who are so well taken care of. We fully believe that a cat’s environment while they are awaiting their forever home plays a crucial part in their overall well-being.”

Unlike other pet adoption facilities, Finch said that Good Mews hasn’t seen many adoptions returned. In some ways, that’s the nature of adopting a cat. But it’s also a testament to getting things right before the adoption takes place.

Finch said that the board is charged with creating a vision for the future, which involves expanding services and looking for how that expansion can take place through donations.

“If we can increase our support, that’s going to mean way more kitties get helped, way more community members get helped, especially those who need it the most,” Finch said.

Good Mews currently has 700 active volunteers, with 350 putting in at least a couple hours a week and some far more than that.

Ledlow said that Good Mews’ mission is “finding good homes for good kitties,” which means ensuring they have the best process in place to get their cats from area animal controls, where they are at the highest risk of being euthanized, into the right home.

She said that Good Mews has also expanded its spay/ neuter efforts with his veterinary services, going from 200 surgeries in 2018 when the spay/neuter program began to 3,569 last year.

Nearly 70% of the cats that arrive at the rescue are not yet fixed, but Good Mews also provides the services to other rescue groups as well as feral cats in the community, working to control the population even in cases where the cats are returned to their colony. The shelter also began offering low cost spay/neuter to the general public last year.

“The goal is to put ourselves out of business,” Finch said, saying that should be a nonprofit goal everywhere as they aim to “maximize our efficiency” in helping the cats and pet owners who need them.

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Bark Street Petopia

Veterinarian

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Bank

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With more banking possibilities than ever before, your Capital City Bankers appreciate the choice you make to bank with us. We also thank you for choosing Capital City Bank as the winner of the