The Palmerton Cat Project is hosting the “Art to the Rescue” online silent auction, now through midnight Sunday.

The cat project is a movement working to spay/neuter feral cat colonies and get kittens and abandoned cats off the streets through adoption and education. The organization works to trap, neuter and release feral cats and works with placing cats in foster homes and eventually permanent homes.

People are welcome to browse the 92 “purrrfectly pawsome” items that have been generously donated by the community and supporters at https://www.32auctions.com/Palmertoncatproject.

Amanda Zellers took over fundraising this year for the Palmerton Cat Project and started looking for new fundraising ideas.

“Originally I got some inspiration from the Lehighton school district when they did a chair sale every year. People painted or decorated chairs and donated them for an auction,” Zellers said.

“I thought it would be really cool to do something similar, but that was more open ended and highlighted each artist or crafter’s unique talents,” so she put out a call asking people to work on items during the month of February.

Local artisans donated 92 items.

“We definitely had more interest than I could have ever anticipated and I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. We had people of literally all age groups participate (everything from Girl Scouts to retired individuals and everything in between).”

Cat items dominate the offerings, but there are other items as well. The selection includes paintings, photos, wreaths, jewelry, glasses, vases, woodworking and more.

“Every dollar coming in helps tremendously in a rescue, and especially with kitten season coming up there was no better time for this event,” Zellers said.

To participate in the auction, people need to register for an account with their name and email.

People can bid a regular amount or a maximum bid and the website will bid on your behalf when necessary until you hit your maximum set bid. Participants will get a notification if you’ve been outbid, or just a general reminder that the auction ends soon.

No payments will be made through the website. The organization prefers PayPal payments but will take checks, money orders or exact cash at pickup.

All items can be picked up in the Palmerton/Towamensing area through the end of the month.

“The variety we received was appreciated because there’s bound to be something for everyone,” Zellers said. “I’m hoping we have great success and want to continue this as an annual event.”