Adoptions soar at Greensborough Cat Protection Society

Ten years ago a cat shelter in Melbourne’s north was fending off animal rights activists due to its high kill rate. Now, after dramatic changes, it’s rehoming more felines “than ever before”.

Ian Crook and his team have been in temporary accommodation since 2016 and will finally move into their new facility in July.

Greensborough Cat Protection Society is rehoming “more felines than ever” with its animal euthanasia rate slashed and its best month for adoptions recorded in April.

Chief executive Ian Crook said it was a far cry from 10 years ago when the euthanasia rate soared and the no kill movement waged war on the Elder St animal shelter.

Of the 15,000 cats processed at the site each year at the time, up to 11,000 were being put down due to severe injuries, wild temperament and, in some cases, overcrowding.

Animal activists attacked the shelter and even its previous chief executive, forcing the centre to install barbed wire as a security measure.

Shelter manager Lisa Agius with Terry and Trixie. Picture: Rob Leeson.

But Mr Crook said those “dark days were over” as the Cat Protection Society team prepared to move into their brand new multimillion-dollar facility in July.

“The place has dramatically changed,” he said.

“The previous centre was taking hundreds of animals they couldn’t do anything with, but we’ve since stopped contracting 10 councils and now we only accept from Banyule and Nillumbik.

“Now we are rehoming more animals than ever before, which is such a wonderful progression.”

Mr Crook said 92 felines were rehomed last month, making it one of the most successful months.

Of the 1400 cats brought into the Greensborough Cat Protection Society in the past financial year, 1200 were rehomed.

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The centre’s euthanasia rate has also dropped to less than six per cent over the past 10 years.

“That is an audited figure so it’s very reliable data and shows how far we’ve come,” Mr Crook said.

“Now we can look forward to moving into our new state of the art facility where we’ll be able to do so much more and provide additional services.

“The old building was beyond repair and practically falling down around our ears but this new site will be very efficient.”