Homeless animals at Casa de los Gatos had a higher chance than usual of getting adopted over the weekend.
The no-kill animal sanctuary held a Catapalooza! fundraiser at its northeast-side location, 10700 E. Tanque Verde Road.
The two-day event featured more than 40 vendors, several live musical acts, children's activities, raffles and, of course, lots of cuddly cats — plus a few dogs — available for adoption.
"We make it a fun family day with music and food and lots of volunteers," said event manager Jackie Bradley.
The shelter is stuffed to near-capacity with more than 500 animals at three locations around town. The would-be pets have been rescued from other shelters that don't have no-kill policies.
"Basically, if an animal is on death row, so to speak, we will take them in," said Bradley. "Unfortunately, funding is very short, so we cannot take animals off the street."
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Casa de los Gatos began five years ago as a place for sick animals with less of a chance of finding a home, and it steadily grew from there.
With only a small staff of mostly part-timers, it relies heavily on volunteers and generosity.
"All of this is done by private donations, every bit of it. And fundraising," said Bradley, adding that the event is just one of a variety of fundraisers held throughout the year.
"We have such huge medical bills for these animals," Bradley said. "There's nothing we won't do. Whatever we can do to raise money, we will do it."
