Barnie's Place Feline Rescue: Kia Pet Adoption Grant Report

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

Our standard adoption fee for cats and kittens is $100. Through this grant, we were able to significantly reduce the adoption fee to $25, with the grant funds offsetting the remaining cost. At the time of our application, Barnie’s Place had more than 100 cats and kittens in foster care, creating an urgent need to increase adoptions and make room for additional animals in need.

Thanks to the grant, we hosted several special adoption events where cats and kittens were available for the reduced $25 fee. These events were held at the Kia dealership, PetSmart in Wentzville, our local mall, and PetSmart in Columbia. The reduced adoption fee removed a financial barrier for many families and encouraged more community members to open their homes to a rescued cat or kitten.

As a direct result of this grant, 20 cats and kittens were successfully adopted into loving, permanent homes. These adoptions not only changed the lives of those animals but also allowed our rescue to continue helping additional cats in need by freeing up foster space and resources.

How many pets did this grant help?

20

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

Kenny Rogers came to Barnie’s Place as a returned adoption. He had originally been adopted from another rescue as a kitten nearly five years ago, along with another kitten. Sadly, over time, Kenny did not receive consistent annual veterinary care. By the time he was returned to rescue, he was in significant pain and in urgent need of medical attention.

A veterinary exam revealed severe dental disease. Many of Kenny’s teeth were badly rotted, requiring an extensive dental procedure. The cost of his dental care was nearly $900, and most of his teeth had to be removed to relieve his pain.

The transformation was immediate and remarkable. Once Kenny was no longer suffering, his personality blossomed. He became a loving, affectionate cat who simply wanted what he had lost — a family to call his own.

Thanks to grant-supported adoption events, Kenny was able to attend an adoption weekend at PetSmart, where he caught the attention of a wonderful family. They fell head over heels for this big, gentle boy. During the meet-and-greet, the dad looked at Kenny and proudly declared, “This is my cat.”

This grant played a vital role in Kenny’s happy ending by helping offset adoption barriers, allowing medically needy cats like Kenny to find loving, permanent homes while enabling our rescue to continue saving others in need.

Henry and Alexis were adopted together, even though they were not siblings. Their bond was formed while being fostered in the same loving home, where each received the care and attention they needed to thrive.

Alexis came to Barnie’s Place as a bottle baby along with her siblings after their mother disappeared. She required intensive, hands-on care, and her foster mom devoted countless hours to nurturing her, feeding her, and helping her grow into a healthy, confident kitten.

Henry arrived as a stray kitten with his two sisters. While he was larger than most kittens his age, Henry was a gentle, outgoing boy who loved everyone he met. His sisters were adopted quickly, but Henry remained in foster care longer due to persistent parasite issues that required ongoing treatment. During that time, Henry grew out of the tiny “kitten stage,” which can make adoption more challenging despite his wonderful personality.

When a first-time adopter came to an adoption event searching for her first pets, it was Henry who immediately caught her eye. His friendly, outgoing nature was exactly what she was looking for. Because Alexis was already thriving in the same foster home, the two kittens proved to be a perfect match.

Today, Henry and Alexis are home together. Their adopter happily reports that they are the perfect pair and that the two kittens love each other very much.

This grant helped make their adoption possible by supporting medical care and adoption efforts for kittens who needed extra time and resources, ensuring that both Henry and Alexis could find a loving home together. Thank you for investing in their future and in the lifesaving work of Barnie’s Place.