POCATELLO — The cat was a black-and-brown striped Maine Coon that was noticeably large and named Simba.

He had been at the Pocatello Animal Shelter since around September but was one of 119 cats adopted last week at the shelter’s free giveaway.

A young couple with two kids adopted Simba and a kitten, according to Shaila McGuire, the shelter’s volunteer coordinator.

‘They got along really well,” said McGuire, who was happy Simba found a home. “He was just a very special kitty that not a lot of people had paid attention to and he was one of the shelter favorites for sure.”

The giveaway was thanks to the non-profit Best Friends Animal Society, which presented that idea and donated roughly $2,500 to the shelter to execute it, according to the shelter’s supervisor, Josh Heinz.

“We were super full on cats and unfortunately we were having to turn some people away,” Heinz said. “During this time, there’s a lot of facilities that weren’t able to help us take animals because they were just as full. So this really did help get a lot of animals out of the shelter and free up some space, so we can continue to help the public.”

It was expected to take two weeks before all the cats were adopted and it took about half that time.

Heinz was grateful for the donation to fund the project, which was made a week before the giveaway. Euthanization would have otherwise been one of the options considered to lighten the load.

“We would have done everything possible not to, but we may have had to do that,” Heinz said.

The shelter is exploring another way to avoid being overstocked with cats, as it is in the application process for a grant from Best Friends Animal Shelter for a trap, neuter, release program. The shelter would need approval from the Pocatello City Council.

A position would be created to perform TNR functions, and local veterinarians would be asked to perform the neutering for a cost.

“We wouldn’t just go randomly,” Heinz said. “We would find colonies of them where they’re already established and the idea of TNR is to trap the animal, get them fixed, get them vaccinated and put them back out there, so they’re not reproducing.”

Cats available for adoption reset to zero Saturday afternoon at the Pocatello Animal Shelter, but the number is rising again, at around five now, according to Heinz. The shelter is not at capacity for dogs, but there are around 50 up for adoption.

For someone looking to get a pet, Heinz offered the benefits of adopting animals from the shelter.

“When they get an animal from the shelter, they are fixed. So there’s not a possibility of an animal having babies and unexpected expense,” Heinz said. “They are vaccinated and cared for. There’s a comfort, I guess, knowing you got an animal that’s been cared for, rather than something you might get with more unknowns.”