Erin Wygonik and her family have always had a heart for animals in need, whether taking in a stray cat, rescuing birds that fall in their yard, or helping injured pets delivered by neighbors.
When she and her family came to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter intent on sharing their home, they couldn’t help noticing how many animals were in need. Having compassion for one feline that obviously needed lots of love, and embracing the spirit of Christmas, the Wygonik family gave not one, but two cats the gift of a home for the holidays.
That gift is one Shelter Director Misty Valenta hopes will keep giving long after Home for the Holidays wraps up January 6. It allows adoptable animals to go home with a family for the holiday season.
While the shelter does the best it can, it can’t compare to a real home, Misty says. Home for the Holidays allows pets to experience a home environment, which helps them tremendously, even if it’s just for a few months. “It’s getting the cats out in a good home to help them flourish,” Erin says. “It helps cats adjust to humans instead of sitting in a cage, so they have the opportunity to eventually have a family.”
The program also provides companionship for foster moms and dads as well and relieves shelter staff who have to feed and clean after the animals during the holidays. “The fewer animals in the shelter, the easier it is on staff so they can spend more time with their families at home, which they deserve as well,” Misty says.
They certainly have their hands full with 135 cats and 95 dogs. Thanks to the holiday program, a “small but growing” initiative, 11 of those are being fostered at the time of this article. Misty hopes at least 20 will find families this season, which might not seem like a lot, but “every single number matters. They can take in more animals if necessary. It allows staff to go home sooner once the animals are cared for. It makes the holidays a bit easier for everybody.”
Most importantly, it increases pets’ chances of being adopted, either from the foster family or another animal lover who sees their adorable pictures on social media shared by the foster family.
It looks like Seymour and fellow foster, Trouble—a playful cat that definitely fits his name—are headed for that happy ending. Now that the pair have become such a big part of the family, Erin says they will probably adopt both even though they had planned for just one. “Even though I’m the animal lover, my husband has the biggest heart,” she notes. “He said, ‘We can’t give back one now.’ ”It will certainly be a balanced pet household, with three cats as well as three dogs.”
After seeing the cats’ growth, Erin notes Home for the Holidays is an opportunity for people to understand a pet’s true temperament, which is hard to assess when they are in a cage. “Looks can be deceiving at the shelter,” she says. Seeing that progress has been a joy for Erin. “In a short amount of time, once you remove them from the cage, the animal makes great strides—Trouble being gentle or Seymour coming out of his shell and being a playful, loving cat. That’s the most rewarding thing.”