The big yellow vehicle rolled into the parking lot of Renton Public Library Tuesday afternoon with nine furry guests aboard. Nine furry guests that their two human escorts hoped would no longer be aboard at the end of the three-hour visit.

“This is the first time we’ve come to the Renton library — we’re really excited,” said Katja Geldhof, operating assistant for Seattle Humane Society. “Hopefully, we’ll get a lot of adoptions.”

Geldhof rode with the adoptable animals, while Jeff King drove that big yellow vehicle into Renton from the Seattle Humane Society in Bellevue.

Those adoptable animals included six cats, a dog, a guinea pig and a rabbit. Most visible to potential adopters were the cats — each lazing in a caged window of the mobile. Pandora, Mikey, Emily, Clarence, Patches and Terra were their names. Black, black and white tuxedo, white and tan, calico and Russian blue.

Bluebell the rabbit and Henry the guinea pig rested in less visible cages, and Travis the dog — a German Shepherd mix — walked the sidewalk on a leash held by King, the driver.

That big yellow vehicle — the MaxMobile — drew a crowd. Women with young children going to and from the library, walkers passing through the parking lot from Liberty Park and the Cedar River Trail, and nearby workers, like Linda Robson, executive assistant at King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC).

Robson came to the parking lot just for looks. She already has two cats — both from the Seattle Humane Society. Oscar is 7 or 8 and Bailey is 6.

“I have a dog too, so that’s enough,” she said.

Baxter, 8, is a Cairn terrier. Same as Toto from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Don Clapp watched the cats as he waited for his wife to emerge from the library. Like Robson, the 78-year-old Clapp has two cats, Cupcake and Britain. He can’t get another.

“Not right now,” he said. “My wife would kill me.”

But Clapp might volunteer with Seattle Humane Society. He picked up a pamphlet outside the MaxMobile.

Clapp is part of MaxMobile’s target audience.

“People like that wouldn’t normally say, ‘Oh, I’m going to go to a shelter and adopt an animal,” Geldhof said.

Geldhof compares MaxMobile to a “giant billboard on wheels.” She says the vehicle helps the Seattle Humane Society reach adopters and volunteers it wouldn’t typically reach.

“Most people who go to the MaxMobile are people who have never thought of going to the Seattle Humane Society,” added Amber Yoo, marketing communications manager for the organization. “They’re not sure who we are, and they might not otherwise adopt animals.”

Before Tuesday, neither Clapp nor Robson had seen the MaxMobile. Robson adopted her cats from PetSmart, where Seattle Humane Society once offered animals for adoption.

“They’re darling,” Robson said of the MaxMobile’s cats on display.

But not darling enough to take home. All nine of the animals that rolled into Renton Tuesday on the MaxMobile rolled back out of Renton Tuesday on the MaxMobile. Despite the crowd of onlookers, no one adopted the furry guests.

But it’s not too late. Geldhof said MaxMobile visitors often later adopt animals at the Bellevue shelter, and refer friends and family to the Seattle Humane Society.

That giant billboard on wheels serves its purpose.

The 33-foot long MaxMobile was custom built with funds from the Seattle Humane Society’s 2007 annual fundraising gala. Max is the name of the dog owned by two of the society’s donors. Paintings of Max and several other cats and dogs that belong or belonged to donors decorate the side and back of the MaxMobile.

The MaxMobile makes weekly visits to area schools, businesses, festivals and farmers’ markets. At schools, Geldhof says the vehicle serves as “literally a classroom on wheels, with critters to learn about.”

Seattle Humane Society typically has about 400 cats and 150 dogs awaiting adoption. Most dogs stay in the shelter about a week, while most cats take a month or longer to get adopted. Many of the shelter’s animals are old. Emily the Russian blue is 14.

Most animals at the Seattle Humane Society are donated by owners who can no longer care for them. Others are rescued from shelters that kill unwanted animals. Yoo says the Seattle Humane Society only kills animals that are too sick to care for or that are unsafe for adoption. The shelter’s animals aren’t killed because of age, breed, beauty, time or space, she says.

Kittens cost $125, and cats a year or older $80. Puppies cost $250, and dogs seven months or older $185. Dogs under 25 pounds cost $275, and senior dogs $50 to $75. All animals come spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. All animals also receive a month of free health insurance and a free vet exam. Dogs also receive six weeks of free training.

About 4,000 animals were adopted from Seattle Humane Society in 2008. MaxMobile adopted out 214 of those animals.

The Seattle Humane Society

The Seattle Humane Society is at 13212 S.E. Eastgate Way in Bellevue.

MaxMobile visits IKEA in Renton from 12-3 p.m. on the first Saturday and third Wednesday of each month. The Seattle Humane Society provides a variety of services, including assistance during local disasters, like the recent flooding. Volunteers and donations are always needed. For more information, call 425-641-0080 or visit www.seattlehumane.org