Aristocats, Inc.: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

All our kitties love toys, so with having a few additional Kong toys available, they have the opportunity to play with new and exciting toys they have not seen before - and cats love adventure! What's more, when a kitty gets adopted, if they have favored a specific toy, it goes with them! Preferably a new one, if possible. We love to complete every possible desire a kitty has knowing they had a rough life in most cases, and we hold onto what is treasured.

In our rescue, we have mainly adults. While some play just like kittens, others need interaction to be their motivator. This can get creative for us and rewarding for them.

We are very thankful for the toys granted to us; every little bit helps when we work so hard without much in return except the joy of loving their lives as best as possible.

How many pets did this grant help?

Several

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

This toy grant has helped Biggie (first photo), who has been adopted recently. Biggie is like a kitten in a big body at 9 years old! He loves to play. Spraying catnip on the toys has refreshed their interest to all the cats, and Biggie is no exception. He rolls around with the toys, sprawling out, so in love. His favorite toys are the feather wands with bells — he will come running. So we have extra bells to attach to toys to spark that interest. For him, this works like a charm, as he will bat the toy around and not stop but rather take his new hunt to a secret den or location to bat even more.

Then there are the girls, especially Gracelyn (second photo). She gets excited just looking at a toy. If her mind is in the mood, that toy is toast. It can be a delight to see toys flying through the air in mid-play among the younger girls; they just swat them around in all serious gestures.

Gracelyn is still up for adoption. She isn’t always high-energy; sometimes she can be very laid-back and sweet, but that doesn’t last too long before she finds body parts enticing to play with, too. One always knows when it is time to trim her nails, for sure! Meet Gracelyn here.