HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Volunteer Denise Depletro delights two youngsters with a prospective furry pet. Advertisement

The Pahrump Nugget was full of cats waiting for new homes last Saturday, and 41 of the 54 rescued felines are now purring in new quarters.

In short, the Pahrump Super Cat Adoption Event was a huge success.

The cats available for adoption were all nursed back to health after being rescued from the For Love of Cats and Kittens (FLOCK) sanctuary on Bond Street.

The Nugget cats were just some of the 400-plus animals found at the sanctuary last month, sick, starving and dehydrated.

Nye County Animal Control took control of the sanctuary after a volunteer at the sanctuary tipped authorities off to the condition of the animals.

That's when the Best Friends Animal Society, a Utah-based rescue organization that operates the country's largest sanctuary for homeless pets, was called in to help save the kitties.

The Best Friends workers, along with volunteers, camped out at the local sanctuary and have been working around the clock to nurse as many of the cats as possible back to health.

Sheri Allen, the former president of FLOCK and director of the sanctuary, was recently arrested by the sheriff's office when over 100 cats were found at her residence in similar condition to the cats at the sanctuary.

Allen was charged with 125 counts of animal cruelty and neglect.

Best Friends' goal is to make sure each and every cat that can be saved finds a loving home.

If the event at the Nugget this weekend is any indication, they won't have too much of a problem achieving that goal, either.

There are still plenty of cats to adopt, however, and area residents can apply and be screened online: Go to http://network.bestfriends.org/nyecounty/news, just click on the adoption tab.

Applicants should visit the sanctuary to see just which ball of fur could become the next new member of their family.

The facility is located at 2171 S. Bond Street, at the end of Homestead Road. Just turn right on to Silver Street, directly across from the Chicken Ranch, and there will be plenty of signs leading the way.

Best Friends is still seeking volunteers to help care for the cats at the sanctuary. Just drop by the shelter, call Tiffani Hill at (805) 698-5959 or email her at tiffanih@bestfriends.org.

No previous experience is required, just a love of animals and a willingness to be loved in return.

Donations, for both the human volunteers who are saving cats in the heat, as well as the cats, are also always appreciated and can be made online by visiting www.bestfriends.org or by calling (435) 644-2001.