It’s fur a good claws.

The Humane Society of Beaufort County will hold its 17th-annual auction beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Washington Civic Center.

Tickets are $35 per person, or $60 per couple.

Proceeds benefit the society, which helps pay for spay/neuter operations for local dogs and cats.

Organizers hope to raise $10,000 through the fundraiser, which includes hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, live and silent auctions, according to Marty Poffenberger, president of the Humane Society.

“Our big effort and push, our main concern, is spay/neuter,” Poffenberger said, adding, “That’s the only solution to the overpopulation problem.”

For more information on spay/neuter, call the society at 252-946-1591.

The society’s annual dues are $10 for an individual, $25 for a family or $5 for a senior citizen.

Contributions to the society are tax-deductible and may be mailed to The Humane Society of Beaufort County, P.O. Box 8, Washington, NC 27889.

In related news, the society is marking national Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month by backing a $5-per-dog adoption program in Beaufort County.

Through Oct. 31, the society will pay — minus a $5 fee — for spay/neuter operations for dogs or cats adopted at the county’s Betsy Bailey Nelson Animal Control Facility off U.S. Highway 264 east of Washington.

The normal fee to adopt a dog or cat at the shelter is $55 per animal, but all but the $5 fee is being handled by the society until Halloween.

Additionally, Poffenberger, a veterinarian, is hoping to find homes for five energetic mixed-breed dogs and one playful cat being housed at Pamlico Animal Hospital.

The cat, a refugee from Hurricane Irene, is called One-Eyed Jack because animal hospital staff had to surgically remove his injured eye.

On Tuesday, Poffenberger played with Jack inside the hospital, and romped with the jet-black puppies in a fenced-in area out back. She agreed the puppies would make good companions for any dog lovers, especially those who have children.

For more information on adopting these animals, call the animal hospital at 252-946-2834.