Ten Lives Club: Cat Castles Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The Cat Castle cat boxes were used in our shelter, at our participating pet store adoption sites, and eventually in our cat's adopted homes. While most boxes were used for our cats staying in cages while at our shelter, they were also placed amongst the free roaming rooms at the shelter.
The Cat Castles have gone over wonderfully with the cats in our care, especially for our cage-bound furry friends. Being able to provide an additional, clean and comfortable place to rest and be secluded when desired has noticeably improved the overall comfort and emotional stability of our rescued cats. The top perch is perfectly designed in that cats can feel hidden, yet they can still view their surroundings, giving them a sense of security in their new foreign environment.
How many pets did this grant help?
Thus far, 300+ cats have enjoyed the benefits of these Cat Castles.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Paisley, a gorgeous orange-and-white female, was always a little scared since coming to the shelter. She never really seemed to feel comfortable or able to settle down. While generally calm by herself in our free-roaming areas, once placed in a cage she would become very unsettled and upset. In other words, classic cage rage. Due to her inability to be placed in a cage, we were unable to send her to one of our adoption sites, causing her to sit and wait at our shelter for someone to hopefully notice her. Months went by with no change until we received the Cat Castle Boxes. In a last-ditch effort with Paisley, we placed her in a cage with a Cat Castle box. She immediately ran inside the lower portion of the castle, hiding for a couple days, but much calmer than usual. After that we were very surprised to see Paisley on the top terrace of the castle! She was looking out among everything enjoying her spot, only ducking into the top terrace if someone walked by. She let people pet her, and did not destroy her cage or lash out at all. A couple days later, Paisley found her new home. We firmly believe that adding the Cat Castle to her cage gave her the security and comfort she was missing before. While she may have felt confined in a cage, without the Cat Castle she also felt open and vulnerable to anyone approaching the cage. With a past of possible abuse, this was understandable. Giving her a “shelter within a shelter” eliminated this feeling of uncertainty and vulnerability. Ten Lives Club is so thankful for these Cat Castles, as we would not have been able to bring Paisley to our adoption event without one! Thank you, Petfinder Foundation, for helping our cats find their “furever” homes!
