CHICOPEE, Mass. - Halfway Home Cat Rescue fosters cats and kittens until they find their forever home.

"Obviously, I love cats," said DeeAnn Smith. "I have six of my own."

Smith started fostering cats 10 years ago. She said she learned about different medical conditions and ages of cats and how to care for them. She recommends if anyone like her who has pets already, to keep the fosters separate.

"In the beginning, I used a small bathroom and so I was limited in how many cats or kittens I could take. But we don't have any children, so we have a spare bedroom and we call it the foster room," Smith said.

The litter of kittens Smith has now are being adopted through Halfway Home Cat Rescue. The non-profit doesn't have a brick and mortar building, so they rely on foster parents to care for homeless and abandoned cats until they are placed in a permanent home. 

"We've had people reach out because of the pandemic with people being home. I've also read a lot stating that a lot of animals are getting adopted more during the pandemic especially last year," said Robin Fiskaa, who runs the rescue.

All of these kittens will be adopted soon. Foster cat parents say it is hard to see them go because they become attached, but they are happy knowing they have made a positive impact. 

"The hashtag used, the saying that is used in the industry is goodbye is the goal. You want to help as much as possible with as many cats as possible and just get them to that point where they can be adopted and in their forever home," said Smith.

Halfway Home assists in reducing cat overpopulation by altering and vetting all of their cats prior to adoption. Cats that need medical care are also treated prior to adoption.

"We just focus on treating them the best way possible and getting them to the vet, socializing, and placing them in loving homes," said Fiskaa.

Currently, Halfway Home has a small, eight-week-old black kitten available and two adult cats that are bound sisters looking for a home together. Anyone interested in adopting a cat should fill out an application.

Halfway Home can be contacted here: Halfwayhomecatrescueinc@gmail.com, on Facebook at Halfway Home Cat Rescue Inc and on Instagram.