BUTLER — Sam and Mimi are best friends, but complete opposites. While Sam is described as “sweet” and “outgoing,” Mimi is “shy,” but always by Sam's side.

Their bond is cute, but it could have made adoption impossible for these two if it weren't for a cage-free cat room that allowed potential adopters to see both of their personalities together.

Sam and Mimi are just two of many cats that were recently adopted as the result of a new space at the Butler Humane Society, said Ruth Leicht, who is on the BHS board of directors and was the main advocate for the project.

“We put them in the room and said they had to be adopted together,” Leicht said. “Someone came and adopted both of them from that room. If they were in the cages, I doubt that Sam and Mimi would have been adopted.”

Leicht said the new cat room has caused a noticeable difference in adoption rates.

“The cats that have gone in there ... so many of them have been adopted,” she said. “We're constantly trying to introduce new cats to the room because when people see the personality of the cat, they're being adopted so quickly. It's just phenomenal. Our goal is to get all the cats out there.”

The addition of a cage-free cat room enabled one of the rooms at the Humane Society to open up into a communal area. When people go in to adopt cats, they can see the cats' personalities and how they play or otherwise interact with each other. The space has toys, windows, climbing bridges, sleeping cubbies and even an exercise wheel to keep the future pets entertained.

Find out what group made this project a reality in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.