Is there anything more “purr-fect” than a night at the cinema? The fifth annual Feline Film Festival hosted by Animal Humane New Mexico occurred on Saturday, June 15.
This year’s festival line-up featured seven short films spanning genres, mediums and nations – but all were focused on one thing: cats. A documentary on Australia’s feral cat problem, an homage to old detective noirs such as “Casablanca,” slice-of-life animations and films, as well as pieces on love, loss and time all found their place on the screen.
In addition to the films, the event offered kitten yoga and a cat-lover cocktail hour.
Ticket sales benefited Animal Humane New Mexico, a private, nonprofit shelter serving at-risk animals throughout the state.
Madison Beets is the associate director of marketing at Animal Humane New Mexico.
“Fundraising events for local nonprofits are so important because they do just that – raising funds for pets in care ... As a local, private, nonprofit institution, we do not receive any city, state or federal funding. Any funds raised by our generous community make all the difference in supporting our life-saving mission,” Beets said.
The Feline Film Festival also served as an adoption event, placing cats and kittens into their forever homes.
John and Diane Ortiz-y-Davis, a couple who said they only ever adopt from Animal Humane, took home a calico kitten that they named Chantelle.
“I knew I was going to adopt today. (John’s) mother said, ‘You don’t need more cats,’ and I said, ‘This is what we do,’” Diane said.
She loves that cats return the love they receive, she said.
In New Mexico, over 65,000 animals are euthanized each year, according to Animal Protection New Mexico.
Many shelters in New Mexico are “high kill shelters” due to the high volume of animals abandoned or surrendered, according to Tia Jones, a volunteer with Valencia County Animal Services who specifically works with cats. The overcrowding is largely due to owners neglecting to spay and neuter cats, she said, stressing the importance of fixing and vaccinating kittens as soon as possible.
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“If we run out of space, someone’s gotta go. We tell the owners that, and they say, ‘Well, it’s not my problem,’” Jones said.
Adopting from a shelter not only saves the pet someone adopts, it also clears a space for another animal who needs a place to stay while searching for their family, Beets said.
Fostering animals with Animal Humane New Mexico is completely free to volunteers, according to Beets. Animal Humane provides everything volunteers may need – from food to medical care – she said.
“It’s just donating your time, your space and of course, your love,” Beets said.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com
