Humane Society of Utah: Cat Enrichment Grant Report

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

The generous $1,000 grant from the Petfinder Foundation was used to purchase items to stock our new enrichment room with, including cat toys, beds, and supplies to be used for cats who are awaiting adoption at our facility. The toys we purchased include items like target sticks, spinning balls, cardboard scratchers, catnip toys, Kong balls, teaser wands, and bed caves.

Enrichment improves our ability as a shelter to help with behavior and training issues while supporting the overall health of our animals. Enrichment also decreases stress in animals, which decreases the rate of illness. Our new enrichment room is a tremendous asset to the shelter, and having the necessary toys and supplies for the cats helps provide them with an environment where they are engaged and healthy, which ultimately increases their adoptability.

How many pets did this grant help?

With help from the Petfinder Foundation, we are able to offer enrichment opportunities to all the cats who enter our shelter. Over the next 12 months, we anticipate adopting out approximately 235 cats, and they will all benefit from the supplies and toys we purchased using the generous Petfinder Foundation grant.

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

As a sassy 5-year-old cat, Elsie (first photo) served multiple bite quarantines during her stay because she only enjoys being pet on her terms. Once we introduced interactive toys and clicker training, she became a completely different cat. With the enrichment, we showed her ways to interact with people that still allowed her to be social but didn’t always involve petting. As training progressed, she became easier for staff and visitors to handle, and the clever girl even learned how to jump through a hoop. After 136 days at Utah Humane, she went to loving forever home.