By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

ST. JOHNSVILLE — While the Fort Klock Craft Fair always provides an important venue for local vendors to spread word of their work, for organizations like Second Chance Cat Rescue, Inc., of St. Johnsville, the chance to spread the word could mean finding homes for some of the 75-80 animals currently housed at the shelter.

Attending the event annually, the group, founded by Sherrie Keough and her mother, Alice Edmunds, doesn’t take the opportunity lightly, using the time not only to spread the word about the mission and progress of the organization, but also to introduce attendees to some of the cats currently up for adoption.

The cat accompanying Keough and Edmunds on Sunday was named Emmy Lou. The six-week old animal had been found in some overgrown weeds when she was only about three-weeks-old by Keough’s stepdaughter. Keough said she assumed that Emmy Lou’s mother had a litter, and lost one while moving them in a rain storm. The group took her in, bottle fed her, and fostered her out to a loving home.

Second Chance Cat Rescue’s status this year, said Keough, is that “there are more cats coming in than going out,” although the 75-80 animals currently housed at the facility is a bit less than this time last year, as Keough was forced to stop taking them in.

She’s transferred some to other shelters, both local and out of state, and Second Chance Cat Rescue’s current fundraising plan involves coming up with enough money to relocate 25-30 cats within the next few months to other shelters in New England.

Each relocated animal must be vet checked, up to date on shots, tested for Leukemia and Feline AIDS, and quarantined for two months. These necessities end up costing about $100 per animal, meaning that every cent Second Chance Cat Rescue earns at the Fort Klock Craft Fair is vastly important. While the money earned at the event, during which the group sells plants and animal t-shirts to raise money, is “a small drop in a big bucket,” according to Keough, she said “it helps”.

Keough said she’s extremely thankful that many people, “out of the goodness of their hearts, leave a couple dollars with us, because everything helps.”

Edmunds and Keough have run Second Chance Cat Rescue for ten years now, and discussing the differences between now and then brought to light some disturbing facts. In the last 3-4 years, “more cats are being thrown away, being left behind when people move, and less are being adopted,” said Keough, explaining that people, in general, are currently struggling, which leaves some people unable to care for their animals. All local shelters are full right now — especially in the summer, when shelters are inundated with kittens — so, with no place to leave animals, people are simply dumping cats on the side of the road.

While caring for 75-80 cats is overwhelming, it’s necessary work that Keough said she takes “one day at a time, one cat at a time.”

This weekend, Second Chance Cat Rescue, located at 304 Vedder Road, will hold a fall garage sale. They will have pet supplies, crates, dishes, and many other regular household items available. To contact Second Chance Cat Rescue for information, or to donate, call (518) 568-7162.