New York City's Animal Care and Control started waiving adoption fees for cats over the age of one year about two weeks ago, and will continue to do so through Labor Day, in hopes of finding permanent homes for New York City's thousands of homeless cats, even amid a troubled economy.

"Other rescue organizations in the country have done this kind of program with some success, as well, and we figured that it would be a great way to raise awareness, to let people know that we do have more cats than homes right now," explained Richard Gentles, spokesperson for AC&C.

"When you say something is free, it kind of gets people's attention. That's what we are trying to do."

He noted that since the city enacted this new program, adoptions have increased -- a trend he expects to continue through the rest of the summer.

"We have had success and I think that this will continue to play out in an even bigger way," Gentles said. "But we have already seen adoptions pick up. We have a long way to go, since we are running this program through the entire summer. We hope that this will help make a difference."

New York City's ASPCA adoption center has traditionally waived fees for cats over the age of three; other major regional shelters, like the Wisconsin Humane Society, in Milwaukee, Wisc., the Kansas Humane Society in Wichita, Kan., the Charleston Animal Society, in Charleston, S.C., and the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, in Westbrook, Me., also continue to offer special promotional deals geared toward cats.

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Source: www.zootoo.com