“Jackie,” a cat waiting for a home at Responsible Pet Care, asks people to help Responsible Pet Care win $10,000 from the “America’s Favorite Animal Shelter” contest.

Responsible Pet Care looks to win $10,000

NORWAY – Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, a feline shelter and adoption center, has an opportunity to win $10,000 with local community support. Care2’s “America’s Favorite Animal Shelter” contest will award voters’ favorite local animal shelter or rescue group the grand prize, which would help Responsible Pet Care care for abandoned cats and kittens until they are placed into homes.

Care2 (www.care2.com), the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference, is holding the contest with Adopt-a-Pet.com to bring public awareness about the plight of homeless dogs and cats, as well as to recognize animal shelters and rescue groups for their efforts in animal welfare.

In addition to the $10,000 grand prize, Care2 is awarding $3,000, $1,000 and two prizes of $500 to the four runners-up respectively. Adopt-a-Pet.com is awarding prizes of $1,000 at random each week during the contest period to ensure every shelter and rescue group has a chance to win.

The winner will be determined by its local residents and supporters, who can vote for their shelter or group by going to www.care2.com/animalsheltercontest/72515. At the site, people can also invite their friends (via e-mail) to vote for that same shelter. The 20 people who recruit the most friends to vote will receive a $50 gift certificate sponsored by Adopt-a-Pet.com.

The contest aims to raise awareness about the importance of supporting pet adoptions and taking action to save homeless animals’ lives. All participating animal shelters and rescue groups, including Responsible Pet Care, are part of the Adopt-a-Pet.com network.

Responsible Pet Care has seen an increase in abandoned animals and a decrease in charitable giving in the past year. It places a yearly average of 250 cats and kittens into permanent homes. Many felines have found homes outside due to Internet support provided by Web sites such as Adopt-a-Pet.com.

“Ten thousand dollars would make a huge impact on the kinds of support we can provide to our animals,” said Shirley Boyce, president of the board of directors at Responsible Pet Care. “We encourage all of our local supporters and citizens to visit the Web site and vote for us.”

The contest will run through Nov. 1 on Care2.com. Anyone can go to http://www.care2.com/animalsheltercontest/72515 and vote for Responsible Pet Care.