The sign on the front of the building reads “Cat Adoptions.”

Located in a nondescript strip mall only miles from Ft. Lauder­dale’s ocean-side hotels and restaurants, the Cats Exclusive adoption store is a one-of-a-kind rescue as Broward County’s only storefront feline adoption center. A low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic was added last year in the adjoining retail space.

Everyone here loves cats, and not just a little bit. Everyone has adopted at least one cat, usually two or three, from Cats Exclusive. Nearly everyone has brought in a stray cat found wandering the streets of his or her neighborhood, sometimes even a mother cat with her kittens.

Kittens of all colors, shapes and sizes play with toys or curl up snoozing from their comfy quarters near the store’s front window. “Kyla,” a beautiful calico cat, greets visitors from her perch on the reception desk. Down the hall, “Shakra,” a handsome beige-and-brown cat, is the unofficial office manager. In the adoption center, cheery colors and a sparkling clean ambiance are the first things you notice, and then several well-behaved adult cats roaming freely brush against your leg, purring contentedly.

Cats Exclusive began in 1979 when a breeder of purebred Russian Blue and Singapore cats aimed to bring together cat lovers to help cats everywhere. Though one of the breed club’s primary purposes was to hold cat shows sanctioned by the Cat Fanciers’ Association, a purebred cat registry, other goals were also part of the mission.

Founder Marge Jackson of Coral Springs, Fla., was determined to help educate people about cats and to advance their health and well-being by supporting health research and advocating spaying and neutering of non-purebred cats as well as pet-quality purebreds. “I love all cats,” she says. “I had been taking in strays and realized we needed to do more to help homeless cats. From the beginning the cat show was intended to help raise funds to care for less fortunate cats.”

This fall’s 28th annual Cats Exclusive cat show, held at the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, brought hundreds of cat fanciers from across the country. Local pet owners also came, bringing their domestic cats to compete in the non-purebred category. On the stage, Cats Exclusive set up an adoption event.

Cats Exclusive president Dave Boyce and his wife, Karen, breeders of Grisaille Russian Blues, organize the cat show. This year the show resulted in the adoption of 21 cats, many which were hard-to-adopt adults, and a sizeable profit from cat entries, admission and vendor fees, and the sale of raffle and door-prize tickets.

“Most people in the cat fancy share a desire to do what is right for all cats and to help ensure adoptable homeless cats have a chance to live happy lives in good homes,” Dave Boyce says. “Fanciers donate to us each year at the cat show, and the show itself makes a reasonably nice profit that we then put back into Cats Exclusive.”

In the last 12 years, Cats Exclusive has become a major player in helping to reduce cat overpopulation in Broward County. In 1996, the Cats Exclusive Spay/ Neuter & Adoption Program (S.N.A.P.) began offering neutering and spaying of homeless cats. Then, in 1998, the Cats Exclusive adoption center opened on West Atlantic Boulevard in Margate. In 2007, the low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic opened.

Though Jackson no longer goes daily to the Cat Exclusive adoption center as she did when it first opened, she is pleased with the progress. “I am very proud of that place,” she says. “It has kept growing and growing.”

A Growing Program
Longtime Cats Exclusive board member Richard Bilello met Jackson 23 years ago when he was searching for a Russian Blue kitten. “Everyone told me she was the best person to buy a Russian Blue from,” he says. “She vigorously interviewed me several times. She was very particular about who she sold her cats to, especially those who wanted to breed.”

Bilello fell in love with Russian Blues and also Havanna Browns, both considered exotic shorthair breeds. At his Lariche Cattery, he bred both breeds. Like other cat fanciers, he was naturally drawn to Jackson’s work with Cats Exclusive and was instrumental in setting up S.N.A.P., contracting with area veterinarians to perform spays and neuters of stray cats at reduced rates.

Cat lovers began trapping homeless cats and bringing them in to be sterilized. Cats also were tested for feline diseases, vaccinated and dewormed. Adoptable cats went home with volunteers until homes could be found, and the others had their ears notched to signify they had been neutered.

“We went through $10,000 in eight months,” Bilello says. “That got us on our way. We then began charging more for spays and neuters because we realized we couldn’t subsidize so much of the cost.”

About the same time Cats Exclusive began looking for a location to open an adoption center. One and a half years later a centrally located, 1,000-square-foot retail space was found in Margate.

“We had reached a point where people would have to meet somewhere with the cats they were fostering if someone was interested in adoption,” says Jackson. The addition of the clinic last year significantly enhances the program. Walking through the clinic, Bilello points out savings that have eased the budget. A 20-year-old X-ray machine was donated by a veterinary hospital that was closing. Two human anesthesia machines were bought for $1,000 each — normally costing around $9,000 — and then refitted to be safe for cats. A used surgical light was bought from a medical equipment store at one-fourth the cost of a new one.

The timing was ideal as S.N.A.P. was growing increasingly costly to administer. Since opening in October 2007, nearly 5,000 spay and neuter surgeries have been performed. Five rescue groups trap homeless cats and bring them in on a regular basis. As with the S.N.A.P. program, cats also are tested for diseases and given vaccinations. True to its heritage as a cat breed club, Cats Exclusive offers special rates to breeders wanting to sterilize pet-quality purebred cats.

“Opening the clinic provided the opportunity to let veterinarians come to us, and we could underwrite a portion of the cost while also continuing to offer low-cost spays and neuters,” Bilello says. “In addition to the veterinarians who come to perform spays and neuters, we have a veterinarian who provides basic veterinary care as we evolve toward becoming a full-service clinic.”

Clients already bring their cats for care beyond spays and neuters. Waiting in the reception area is John Sellard of North Ft. Lauderdale. He has brought his recently adopted Cats Exclusive kitten “Pumpkin,” to see the veterinarian for a cold.

“It’s awesome to adopt a rescued cat,” Sellard says, lovingly stroking his kitten’s coat. “You’re saving a life when you do, and they will be your friend forever. You just have to spend time with them and show them love.”

Sixteen paid employees help run the adoption center and clinic. “None of us were born to do this,” says Bilello, “but we’ve been blessed with good people.”

Office manager and financial director Lory Chadwick had always wanted to help animals. When a bookkeeper/accountant job opened at Cats Exclusive, she applied. “I felt I was at home here,” says the owner of five cats and an older, arthritic Rottweiler.

Jessica Torrence is the adoption coordinator and also is in charge of development and public relations. She was looking for a volunteer opportunity before leaving for graduate school at Duke University when she discovered Cats Exclusive. “One of my goals had always been to run a shelter,” she says. The owner of two cats, one that she fed for half a year before coaxing into her house, loved her new job so much she permanently put a hold on graduate school.

Volunteers also support Cats Exclusive. Some take the early-morning shift and help clean the adoption center. High-school students, even some middle-school students, receive community service hours for volunteer work. Some students eventually take roles such as weekend cattery manager. Two former students are now in veterinary school, and several have become veterinary technicians.

All who work at Cats Exclusive get to know the individual cats’ personalities and idiosyncrasies. “Cats are aloof, yet very affectionate,” Jackson reflects. “I always say that dogs have owners, but cats have servants.”

When workers return from days off, catching up on cats that have been adopted comes first. A 24-to-48 hour hold on adoption applications helps to ensure that adopters are serious about wanting a cat. It also gives the staff time to check veterinary references and be sure adopters live where they can have a cat. Repeat adopters are commonplace, a good sign that Cats Exclusive has a solid reputation for running a quality adoption program.

When an adoption does not work out, Cats Exclusive wants cats returned to the adoption center. “We’ve learned over the years that cats can act differently in a home than here,” Bilello says. “Adopters can always bring cats back. The goal is to give a cat time to be happy in your house.”

Neither Jackson nor Bilello still breed purebred cats, yet they continue to be involved in the growing and thriving Cats Exclusive program. As for the mission, Bilello says, “About half of this work is about cats, and the other half is about the people who love them. This is an important activity for the improvement of humanity and for people everywhere.”