Cat Care Society: Cat Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
With the Petfinder Foundation Cat Enrichment Grant, we were able to purchase three six-level Kuranda cat towers, four five-level Kuranda cat towers, and four window Kitty Cots, giving many of our free-roaming colony rooms additional vertical space and comfortable places for cats to rest.
The new towers and window cots are used every day. Cats love having places to climb, perch, and watch what's going on around them. We've seen shy cats gain confidence by being able to observe from up high, and more active cats have another outlet for climbing and exploring. For our senior and medical cats, the elevated resting spots provide comfortable places to relax while still feeling safe and included in the room.
These enrichment items have also made our colony rooms feel calmer overall by giving cats more choices about where they spend their time. That helps reduce stress and creates a better environment while they're waiting to find their new homes. The addition of these cat towers and vertical-space options will last for years and will continue to improve the daily lives of hundreds of cats that come through our shelter.
How many pets did this grant help?
1,000
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
One of the cats who has especially benefited from this grant is Whiskers. Whiskers is one of the sweetest cats in our colony rooms and is always the first to greet visitors. He loves belly rubs, gets along well with the other cats, and has a calming presence that seems to put everyone at ease. Because he has a heart condition, it’s especially important that he has a comfortable, low-stress environment where he can relax.
When we set up the new Kuranda tower, Whiskers wasted no time climbing to the very top bunk and claiming it as his own. It has quickly become his favorite place to nap, watch over the room, and greet anyone who comes through the door. Having an elevated space where he feels safe and secure has given him a place to rest comfortably while still being part of everything happening around him.
Whiskers is still waiting for his forever home, but thanks to this grant, his time in the shelter is more comfortable and enriching. Seeing how quickly he embraced his new favorite spot reminded us that something as simple as adding more vertical space can have a real impact on a cat’s daily life and overall well-being while they wait to be adopted.
