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Feline Feature: Cats Seeking Forever Homes at Pittsfield Animal Shelters

Charlie loves to be pet and snuggled and is very playful.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Are you looking for a feline friend? Search no further than Pittsfield animal shelters.

Both Berkshire Humane Society and the Eleanor Sonsini shelter have a variety of cats available for adoption ranging from large to small, young to old, and short-haired to fluffy.

There is currently a waitlist for cat surrenders at both of the facilities because of the large volume of felines in-house and there are some distinguished senior residents looking for forever homes.

"A lot of these animals come in for no fault of their own," said Catherine Hibbard, the society's marketing  and communications manager. 

Circumstances such as an owner dying or becoming unable to care for the animal and a change of living situations can lead to a furry friend entering the shelter.

"We have a ton of great cats right now, we really do," feline supervisor Jenn Zartowski added, "Everyone is like, perfect."

Senior cats — or ones over the age of 7 — are overlooked even though they can have years of life ahead of them.

iBerkshires met some available shelter cats to hear about their stories, give them some pets, and show the community what the local shelters have to offer.

Available for adoption at Berkshire Humane Society:

Cole the 11-year-old domestic shorthair tabby is said to be "the most perfect cat" by shelter staff and was described as the "sweetest cat in the world" by his previous owner. He was brought to the shelter in April and has a clean bill of health. Cole will also be featured on Steve Caporizzo's "Pet Connection" on News10.

Jerry is a midnight black 2-year-old domestic longhair mix that arrived as a stray in April. He is on the smaller side of the medium-weight designation and is very friendly. In addition to being easygoing, Jerry has a clean bill of health.

Creed the black and white domestic shorthair mix was brought to the shelter in May because of circumstances out of his control. He has been around children ages 10 and up and has done well with a dog. Creed is an energetic and curious cat and has no health issues and weighs about 12 pounds.

Garfield and Reptar are a bonded pair of brothers who came to the shelter in June because their owner passed away. They are 2 years old and are orange domestic medium hair and domestic short hair mixes.

Garfield has a longer coat and Reptar a shorter coat, which is a result of female mother cats being able to have multiple partners and often having a litter of kittens with different traits. The shelter wishes to adopt out the duo together.

Pittsfield ZBA Member Recognized for 40 Years of Service

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:23PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Albert Ingegni III tells the council about how his father-in-law, former Mayor Remo Del Gallo who died at age 94 in 2020, enjoyed his many years serving the city and told Ingegni to do the same. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's not every day that a citizen is recognized for decades of service to a local board — except for Tuesday.

Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.

"It's not every day that you get to stand before the City Council in honor of a Pittsfield citizen who has dedicated 40 years of his life serving on a board or commission," he said.

"As we say that, I know that there are many people that want to serve on boards and commissions and this office will take any resume that there is and evaluate each person but tonight, we're here to honor Albert Ingegni."

The honoree is currently chair of the ZBA, which handles applicants who are appealing a decision or asking for a variance.

Ingegni said he was thinking on the ride over about his late father-in-law, former Mayor Remo Del Gallo, who told him to "enjoy every moment of it because it goes really quickly."

"He was right," he said. "Thank you all."

The council accepted $18,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and a  $310,060 from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program.