Hinkle didn’t wait until today to visit the animals. On her visit Thursday, the kitten Willow climbed up her arm as a dog barked in the background.

She said she needed to convince her husband this was the cat for them.

Across the hall, Icus was flirting with a family of her own. The 9-year-old cat walked around Dixie McCoy’s legs before heading toward a glass door where she stretched out her front legs.

McCoy said her son had been begging for a cat despite his allergies.

As she watched Icus with her sons and husband, the family talked about what to do.

Lee said that for families who don’t want to commit to a pet, other options are available, such as volunteering to be a foster home for animals, that give the shelter space to take in more dogs and cats.

Not all 560 animals are on the adoption floor. Some are in medical care, some are on hold for their owners after getting loose and some are learning to socialize.

Some don’t even make it into the shelter.

On Thursday, a man pulled up with a dog called Minus in the back of his truck.