Lincoln County Humane Society is making hiss-tory.

For the first time in at least 30 years, the shelter ran out of cats for adoption this week and its cages were bare.

"It's kind of surreal to see the rooms empty, like we just painted or moved or something," executive director Kevin Strooband said Tuesday.

The Fourth Avenue shelter can hold 125 cats at peak, but has had as many as 140 at any one time.

The lack of cats Tuesday - while temporary - is significant considering how high shelter numbers were only a few years ago.

The agency was at over capacity or near capacity for years. It had so many cats coming into the facility in 2012, it was euthanizing 70 per cent of healthy felines to make room. A community outcry over no-kill policies led the agency to take new measures to get cat adoptions and re-homing numbers up while also opening its planned spay and neuter clinic.

Strooband said the shelter's low-cost spay and neuter clinic has been the biggest factor in keeping the cat population in check. The clinic has spayed or neutered more than 30,000 cats and dogs since 2011 and fewer cats are being dropped off at the shelter.

He said increased education on the importance of spaying and neutering has also led to cat owners getting their cats fixed, whether at the shelter or at a vet.

There's also raised awareness about the benefits of adopting instead of shopping for pets, he said.

The humane society dropped prices on cats a few years ago in an effort to adopt them out. While they used to be $195 each, adult cats are now $60 with the rabies vaccine included while kittens are $100.

Strooband said it costs $130 to get a cat ready for adoption.

"It's a bad business decision, but it's a great decision to save lives," he said.

Blossom was the only cat available for adoption when Sam Smith picked her up from the humane society on Sunday. The lack of choice didn't disappoint.

"It's exciting. I'm so happy that all the cats got adopted," she said Tuesday.

Smith had kept her eye on the humane society website for weeks and saw the cat numbers dwindling. She was starting to think she'd have to wait to adopt, but then learned there was one cat left.

Blossom was shy but friendly. Smith said the three-year-old grey feline is already adjusting to her new St. Catharines home.

"Even though the shelter is empty right now, there are bound to be many more cats incoming that need love," Smith said, adding she hopes more people consider adoption. "They are very sweet cats."

Having no cats in the shelter is a milestone - a "wow" point, says Strooband, who has been at the humane society for more than 28 years and has never seen it happen before.

But it's only for a few days. Strooband said by the end of the week there will be cats available again. The agency has a few strays that will be readied for adoption and it always have cats in foster care.

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Karena.Walter@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1628 | @karena_standard