For cat lovers, there’s nothing more satisfying than owning one or more of these playful, purring balls of fluff. On the other hand, there’s nothing sadder than the number of unwanted, abandoned and feral cats on the scene today.

Fortunately, some of these cats have hope of finding homes or, at least, food and medical attention courtesy of shelters and pet rescues. Angels Among Us Pet Rescue provides assistance to cats in need in the Johns Creek area through its adoption center, foster homes and feral cat program.

According to Johns Creek resident Deborah Smith-Callahan, cat program coordinator for Angels Among Us, rescue organizations fill a need that shelters can’t.

“Most shelters have to perform euthanizations as a way of controlling the surplus pet population. Unfortunately, shelters get a bad rap for that, but they really don’t have a lot of choice because they have such a limited amount of space to house the animals. And until the majority of people become responsible pet owners and buy into the reason for spaying and neutering their pets, euthanization is a fact of life,” she explains. “Rescues, on the other hand, are generally ‘no-kill’ operations, providing the necessary veterinary treatments, putting the animals up for adoption and keeping them until they are adopted.”

Angels Among Us features adoptable pets — their background information and photos — on its website, but the cat program actually has its base of operations at PETCO in Johns Creek (10980 State Bridge Road). The cat adoption center there offers families the opportunity to visit in person some of the cats in need of “forever homes.” Cats not housed at the adoption center are kept in foster homes by Angels members.

Smith-Callahan says that the Angels cat program could not exist without the support of several local business partners.

"We are very grateful that PETCO allows us to use the Johns Creek store's cat adoption center to showcase our adoptable cats,” she states. “In addition, Dr. Stephanie Smith and her great staff at Peach Pets Animal Hospital provide compassionate, high-quality, low-cost veterinary services to our rescued cats. We simply couldn't operate without the help of these two great partners."

She adds that the cat program’s greatest need is for more foster homes. 

“We’re limited in the number of cats we can save by the number of foster homes we have available to us,” she states. “The very best thing we can have is a foster home that will open its doors to a pet that’s waiting for a forever home.”

The program’s biggest expense is veterinary care. No pet leaves Angels Among Us without having been spayed or neutered and microchipped. An adoption fee helps offset the organization’s vet costs. The fee is quite reasonable, says Smith-Callahan.

“Typically, a cat that hasn’t received any veterinary treatment will have to be tested for various diseases, and receive routine parasite treatment, spaying/neutering and vaccinations. That generally adds up to about $350-$400 in vet costs,” she notes. “But when you adopt a cat from us, all that work has already been done and our fee is only $135. We even offer a discount if you adopt two cats.”

In addition to adoptions, the Angels cat program offers help to neighbors and businesses experiencing problems with feral cat populations. 

“Feral cats are certainly an issue here in Johns Creek. We hear a lot of stories about cats living behind shopping centers or in residential areas,” says Smith-Callahan. “We advise people on good feral cat management strategies through what we call ‘Trap, Neuter and Return.’”

If someone wants to help feral cats, the organization will assist in trapping the animals and finding a low- or no-cost veterinarian who will test these cats for disease, and spay or neuter and vaccinate them. Then the cats can be returned to their habitat as long as someone is willing to keep up a regular feeding routine. 

“This ensures that the feral cat population is healthy and not reproducing. And they generally stay put,” adds Smith-Callahan. “Some businesses tell us they actually like to have a healthy feral cat population around as ‘mousers.’”

The Angels cat program is always looking for community partners in helping cats, as well as volunteers willing to work at the cat center and adoption events, or as foster cat parents. The organization also has a need for donations, cat food, cat litter and more. To find out how you can help, contact Smith-Callahan at (404) 414-1282 or dsmithcallahan@gmail.com.

To see the many wonderful adoptable cats (and dogs) featured by Angels Among Us Pet Rescue, log on to www.angelsrescue.org.