#37: Animal adoption centre

Mary and Doris, 12 weeks old

‘I’m Scarlet, I’m a bit shy, go slow,’ warns a notice on the small ginger cat’s door, adding that she can only be visited with a staff member present. Other cats are less sensitive. ‘I am very social cat,’ says Jimmy’s notice. ‘Feel free to open my condo and give me a pat.’ And I do – along with Misty, Oz and Perry (a 1.7-year-old assertive long-haired tabby, who scratches a little and then rubs against my legs as if to make up for it).

These irresistible creatures live in Melbourne’s Lort Smith Adoption Hub, where you can drop in to the café and peer through an interior window at the kittens’ playroom or go right in to cuddle and stroke them, whether you are looking to adopt or not. Dogs have large rooms with transparent portholes for them to look out, and can regularly be seen trotting alongside uniformed staff in the neighbouring streets.

The centre has a five-page waiting list for people who want to give their cats in for adoption. It checks out potential adopters thoroughly – questions for prospective pet carers to consider include future vet bills and ‘boarding fees for human holidays’. I heard two applicants being asked if they were renting, since they would need to provide proof from the landlord that pets were allowed. For potential dog adopters, there’s a meet and greet, then walks together, then a questionnaire to fill in as part of the matching process.

The Adoption Hub has quite a kitty turnover – during my 45-minute visit on 17 April two were adopted, on my second visit one of the white kittens in the picture had gone, and on my third all the kittens were new. Lort Smith rehomes about 850 animals each year, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets, and places half that number with foster carers. Foster care allows everyone to see the animal in its natural environment: ‘We want to see the animal rolling around, grooming itself, sun baking,’ says Adoption Centre General Manager Serena Horg. That way everyone can decide whether the animal and adopter are right for each other.

The adoption fee for adult cats is $115 (£60) and for kittens $225 (£110). For adult dogs it’s $400 (£200) and for puppies $500 (£250). There’s a two-for-one offer on both, for animals that shouldn’t be separated.

About 30% of its animals come from the Lort Smith Animal Hospital next door, the largest not-for-profit animal hospital in Australia, and has a reputation for high levels of care and working with difficult animals. ‘We take on animals that other shelters can’t take on,’ says Horg. ‘[Ones that need] extensive rehabilitation, cage confinement, ongoing behaviour training.’ They had just rehomed a dog after 400 days. ‘He was probably ready after 200 days, but it’s not about getting them in and getting them out, it’s about finding the right person or family’.

Eighteen paid staff and around 200 volunteers work in the Adoption Hub, and there are partnerships with charity partners, rescue groups and pounds, run by local councils. Animals can be ‘shuffled around’ between these organisations, says Serena, to find the most suitable destination for them. It relies on fundraising since it gets no ongoing government funding, and currently runs a $1 .5 million (£750,000) annual deficit. Nevertheless, the centre is planning a move to leafier Campbellfield in the next two years, where dogs and cats will enjoy a more natural environment and the foster care network can be expanded.

Horg thinks attitudes to animals have improved greatly in the past few decades, because of changes in society and culture rather than legislation. ‘In the 80s the dogs were outside, the cats were inside, now the dog is with you wherever you go’ (her Hungarian Vizsla, Parker Pretzel, comes to work with her every day). ‘They’re part of the family. They have their own Instagram accounts.’

Later I meet serial cat adopter Karen Hofer in the playroom. How many has she adopted? She counts rapidly on her fingers. ‘Thirteen. And no foster failures yet’ (meaning cats she has kept permanently). ‘It stops cats living in miserable circumstances.’ The most she’s had at one time is seven. ‘It’s been pretty crazy at times, but it’s a great opportunity.’

Lort Smith Adoption Hub, 38 Villiers St, North Melbourne, Victoria. Sun/Mon closed; Tue/Wed/Thurs 11am-3pm; Fri/Sat 9.30am-3.30pm.

Faithful Friends: a History of Animal Welfare in North Melbourne, a book by Felicity Jack, is available here. It covers the formation and history of Lort Smith and the nearby Lost Dogs’ Home. $15, published by the Hotham History Project.