St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines: Kia Pet Adoption Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

St. Sophia's received $1,000 to subsidize adoption fees of 25 cats to only $25. We had a difficult time choosing which 25 cats to feature, but we focused on those who had been in our care the longest and those who were harder to adopt out (seniors and cats with special needs).

Starting Dec. 5, 2024, we promoted our 25 Cats of Christmas, featuring one cat a day with their story and why they are special. Of the 25 cats, seven have been adopted, and we will be extending this promotion through the end of January 2025.

How many pets did this grant help?

25 pets will be assisted with the subsidized adoption fees.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

I’d like to showcase two of our special pets who were part of this promotion: Zyra and Starling.

Zyra was born with cerebellar hypoplasia (CH, or “wobbly-kitten syndrome”) and was adopted out as a young kitten. When her adoptive parents divorced, she ended up back in our care. Because of her unique needs, she stayed with us a full year. This promotion helped us get her showcased more and into a forever home for the holidays!

Starling is also a CH cat. She was found pregnant and taken to Chicago Animal Control, where she gave birth to three healthy babies. Despite being more wobbly than her kittens, she raised them well, and they were easily adopted. She came to all of our adoption events and wowed the crowd with her sunny disposition and high-step walk, but it wasn’t until this promo that she found her forever home!