The Seattle Humane Society is holding its Home 4 the Holidays celebration Saturday and Sunday to help match prospective owners with the perfect new furry companion.

To help promote the program, the society will waive adoption fees for cats one year or older during December.

“This is our hardest demographic to adopt out,” said Katie Olsen, the shelter manager at Seattle Humane Society, “and we’ve found waived adoption fees to be quite successful over the past few years.”

This time last year 601 pets, many of which were older cats, were adopted through Home 4 the Holidays according to Olsen. The organization’s statistics cite 3,232 cats were adopted for the entire year of 2009.

While many shelters do not approve of the giving or getting of pets as presents, it remains a popular idea every year around the holidays.

“We continue to discourage people from giving pets as gifts,” said Divya Kumar, the media relations associate for the Seattle Humane Society. “However, if they are looking for a new best friend or to bring home a new family member, we do encourage people to adopt from the local shelters.”

People who look elsewhere more than likely will get a new puppy or kitten from a pet store or puppy mill, society officials said. Those are interested in profit rather than the well being of the animal and finding the right fit for the owner.

Home 4 the Holidays and the waived adoption fees are meant to help draw people towards considering adoption if they are hoping for a new pet in their life.

“We decided to start waiving the adoption fees for cats two years ago, to help us stay competitive during this busy time of the year,” said Kumar. “Since we have seen an increase in the number of cats coming in to the shelter, this promotion helps us reach out to the community and find homes for them.”

Jen Dwyer, a proud dog owner, is happy her family got their pet through the Humane Society rather than from a store or breeder.

“We found a really great fit through adopting a shelter animal,” said Dwyer. “My dog is so loving and sweet natured; he has always been one of my best friends.”

The Humane Society is hoping for another successful Home 4 the Holidays celebration this year, and to help match even more animals needing homes with people looking for a new cuddly companion in December.

“We love this program, it’s a great way to reach out to the community,” said Olsen.

For more information on the Seattle Humane Society and/or adoptions visit http://www.seattlehumane.org or call 425- 641-0080.

Emma McGraw is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.