Spay or Neuter Your Pet - Thousands of animals are euthanized each year because there are far more pets than there are homes. You can help by doing your part to adopt an animal from a shelter, spay or neuter your pet, and educate others about the importance of doing the same. 

If you need assistance, call us and we can refer you to low cost spay and neuter services in your area.

Be A Responsible Pet Owner - Also know that when you adopt a cat, it is a 20-year commitment. Also know that three out of every four animals surrendered to shelters are euthanized.  Though ARAS is a no-kill shelter, we cannot accept pet surrenders because there is an endless need for no-kill facilities and unfortunately, we are all-too-often at capacity.  

Pay Attention - Pay attention to the animal population around you. There are various organizations such as Alley Cat Allies that will help if you have a stray or feral cat living in your neighborhood. Don't assume that someone else is caring for it. It takes very little extra effort to leave food out, or to trap the animal and take it to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated. If you can help keep another unwanted litter from being born, you can make a difference. We have several traps we lend out for a $50 refundable deposit to help out in that process. If everyone practiced responsible pet ownership, there would be no need for organizations like ours.  

Colorado winters are very cold. You can make a shelter out of just about anything--a wooden box, a Styrofoam cooler--anything can will help keep a stray/feral cat warm and dry for the winter.

If you are interested in helping ARAS care for abandoned and homeless cats, we have listed ways you can help below:

• Donate funds - We are a non-profit organization, supported entirely by donations from the community and fundraising events.  We need your support to continue to provide medical care, a safe environment and a second chance for these animals.  A $10 donation can buy 33 cans of cat food, so every penny counts. You can donate online with a credit card by clicking here, or you may use the donation form provided below.
   

• Donate supplies - In addition to monetary donations, we accept donations of food and supplies. Below is a list of the items we are most in need of:
  
                                                  -dishwasher soap       
                                                  -all meat baby food    
                                                  -scrub pads and cleaning materials    
                                                  -canned cat food        
                                                  -dry cat food
                                                  -paper towels 
                                                  -non-scoopable cat litter
                                                  -laundry detergent
                                                  -stamps
   

• Donate your car - ARAS recently registered with a car donation program. Donating your car to ARAS allows the shelter to benefit from the proceeds from selling your vehicle, while you avoid the hassle. Donations are completely tax-deductible. If you would like to donate your car and you live in Colorado, please visit http://carsforcharity.net. While we are not listed on their site, we are a benefiting charity. Forms can also be picked up from the shelter. Once the paperwork is complete, the process takes 1-2 weeks.
   

• Become a Foster Parent - ARAS is always looking for foster families to care for animals that are not quite ready for adoption.  This includes cats who are healing from injuries or illness, are undergoing treatment, as well as kittens who are not old enough to be adopted.  The ideal foster family is one that can provide a safe environment for these animals for anywhere from a few weeks to three months.  The level of care can range from providing a quiet room in the house, to administering medication, or bottle feeding kittens.  Since most of the kittens are born in the Spring and Summer months, we are most in need of foster parents from April to September.  Being a foster parent is an extremely rewarding experience, especially for animal-lovers who would like to make a difference, but are unable to make a long-term commitment.  If you would like to become a foster parent, please complete our foster parent application and bring it to the shelter. For more information, please contact the shelter at (303) 744-6076. 
   

• Volunteer - We do not require volunteers to commit to a certain number of hours a week because we know people have lives and busy schedules.  We also know that some weeks are better than others, so if you can only help for a few hours a month, we understand and could definitely use you.  
  
  We need volunteers to work from noon to 3 p.m. at weekend bingo games, held at B-1 Bingo in Aurora. Bingo is our primary source of income, and without volunteers to staff it, we cannot continue doing what we do. If you can spare a few hours a month to help at bingo, please e-mail us to let us know about your availability.
  
  Besides bingo, ARAS has a variety of other volunteer opportunities.  For more information or to download a volunteer application, visit our volunteer page.
   

• Sponsor-A-Cat - As mentioned, we have over 175 cats at our shelter, with many more in foster care. While most of our cats are adoptable animals looking for homes, some cats are unadoptable due to health reasons, behavior problems, litter box problems or other reasons. Some are also shy and just have a hard time distinguishing themselves to potential adopters. In addition, we have more than 35 FIV positive cats at the shelter that are rarely adopted due to their condition. Therefore, some of the nicest cats never find families. 

  By participating in the Sponsor-A-Cat program, you have the opportunity to be the only family that this animal may ever have.  Even if you are participating long distance and cannot visit your sponsor cat, you have the security of knowing that this cat will have a home and warm place to sleep for the rest of its life. Without your help, his/her future is uncertain.

  If you would like to be a sponsor, you may select a cat from any page on this site. We have a special Sponsor Page that lists adoptable and unadoptable cats that need sponsors. You may also visit the shelter and select one in person or have a member of the shelter staff select one for you.  Every cat on this site needs a sponsor, in addition to 150 more at the shelter. Once you have selected your special kitty, complete and mail-in the following form and you will receive a certificate with a photo of your special kitty. If you have questions regarding the Sponsor-A-Cat Program, call the shelter. To make an online donation, or charge your Sponsor-A-Cat donation (write Sponsor-A-Cat in subject box and kitty name), click here.
   

• Animal Safe, a credit card that supports animal rescue organizations, will donate $10 for every credit card application completed and a percentage of each month's purchases will go to the shelter. You can download an application and details by clicking here.

  Shop - You can help ARAS even more by using your Animal Safe credit card to shop at places like Barnes and Noble, Cold Water Creek, Land's End, and more by shopping through www.igive.com. By registering through shops that give and designating ARAS as your charity, you can ensure that ARAS receives a percentage of your purchase. Depending on the store you shop at, ARAS can receive as much as 12 percent of your purchase! So shop on!

  Travel - ARAS recently signed up for an online travel site, www.animalrescuetravel.com. Book your travel arrangements through our site, and ARAS receives a donation!
   

• Spread the word - ARAS is one of the largest no-kill shelters in Colorado, however, due to the fact that the shelter operates on such a tight budget, there is little or no money for advertising. If you know of someone looking to adopt a cat , or a school looking to support a worthy cause,  mention us! We also have special discounts for seniors.