When Harley’s owners moved to Toronto, they took him to a shelter and never came back. Harley was very sad and could not understand what he did wrong.

Now, the 12-year-old male domestic short hair cross is living with other felines at the Maple Ridge SPCA, but he wants a home of his own.

He lives with 10-year-old Miss Mew, who needed to have a few teeth pulled, and is still getting over that. She too is confused about why she is at the shelter.

These are just two of the felines up for adoption during the BC SPCA “purr-fect” price promotion.

From today (Aug. 23) to Saturday, Aug. 25, adopters can choose an adult cat from any BC SPCA location and set their own adoption fee.

The Maple Ridge SPCA is currently home to 35 cats, with another 20 living in foster care and a list of people waiting to surrender more felines.

The shelter’s kennel attendant Michele Massey said the number of felines looking for families comes down to one thing: “People don’t value cats like they value dogs.”

Massey said cats are “the best animal in the world.”

“I love dogs equally as well but cats are their own little people. They have their own personalities,” Massey said. “They need to be valued like part of your family, just like a dog.”

“The BC SPCA takes in more than 17,000 homeless cats and kittens each year and summer is the peak season where our shelters are filled to capacity,” said Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA. “Summer is especially hard on adult cats because with so many kittens in the shelters people sometimes overlook the wonderful adult cats who have so much to offer.”

Chortyk said people who adopt cats from the SPCA are getting exceptional value, even without a special promotion.

She noted that the average cost to care for a cat during its stay is $784, which includes vaccinations, spaying or neutering, an identification tattoo, preventative treatment for internal and external parasites, any medical care or rehabilitation required, daily welfare monitoring, sheltering, and feeding.

She said a homeless cat may stay in SPCA care for anywhere from a few days to more than a year before finding a loving family.

“Our cats are a great value any time of the year, but during the… promotion, the animals will be even more accessible to adopters as they choose their own adoption fee,” Chortyk said.

The goal is to find loving homes for as many adult cats as possible during the event.

“All of the usual adoption criteria will apply as we want to make sure that the animals are a right fit for their new home and that their needs will be met,” Chortyk said.

As an added bonus all cats are also covered by six weeks pet insurance courtesy of Petsecure to ensure the health of your new pet during the critical re-homing period.

For more details on Pick your Purr-fect Price, and to view adoptable animals visit spca.bc.ca.

Maple Ridge SPCA is at 10235 Jackson Road. Call 604-463-9511, email mapleridge@spca.bc.ca, or view www.spca.bc.ca/branches/maple-ridge/.