Shady's Paw Animal Rescue: Kia Pet Adoption Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We are thrilled to share the positive impact of the 2024 Kia Pet Adoption Grant on Shady's Paw Animal Rescue (SPAR). Thanks to the generosity of the Petfinder Foundation and Kia, SPAR successfully found loving homes for 19 cats, including some of our most challenging cases. This grant has been instrumental in our mission to provide quality care and permanent homes for cats in need.
The 2024 Kia Adoption Grant significantly enhanced our adoption efforts. We are confident that many of the 19 kitties adopted through this grant would not have found homes without the financial support it provided. The sponsored adoptions removed financial barriers for prospective adopters, allowing them to welcome new furry family members without hesitation.
Throughout the grant cycle, SPAR highlighted "sponsored" kitties on Facebook and added "adoption sponsored" tags to the kennels of cats at our adoption events, which are held several times each month at various locations.
We are profoundly grateful for the generosity of the Petfinder Foundation and Kia. Their support has enabled us to continue our lifesaving work and expand our outreach to potential adopters. The positive outcomes we’ve achieved with this grant underscore the importance of such partnerships in the animal rescue community.
The 2024 Kia Pet Adoption Grant has been transformative for SPAR. It has not only facilitated the adoption of 19 cats but also demonstrated the power of community support in addressing the needs of vulnerable animals. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Petfinder Foundation and Kia to further our mission and save more lives.
Thank you once again for your invaluable support.
How many pets did this grant help?
19
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
One of the most heartwarming success stories is that of Hank, SPAR’s longest resident. Hank’s journey began when SPAR was contacted about an injured kitty in the summer of 2022. Two of SPAR’s volunteers located the presumed-feral cat under a neighbor’s shed.
A trap was set, and as the volunteers waited out of sight, this not-at-all feral kitty stumbled his way down the driveway and under a truck. One volunteer slowly approached and lay on the ground three feet away and the kitty came over and started loving on her. He was incredibly sweet, quite beat-up, and falling all around.
Our vet determined that Hank had idiopathic vestibular disease and was around 14 years old. Though he may be wobbly for the rest of his life and have special needs, the vet is confident Hank is not in pain or discomfort. Hank LOVES affection and is one of the most grateful and sweetest kitties we have ever rescued. He is happiest snuggling with people, and kisses from his humans are his favorite thing in the world.
It’s clear that Hank knew the love of a human at some point, but despite our best efforts, we were unable to find his family. Hank does not get along with other animals and, coupled with his vestibular condition and the development of kidney disease, we were not very hopeful that Hank would ever find a home.
Then a miracle happened: After 734 days in foster care, Hank found an adopter and got to celebrate his 16th birthday in his very own home. This would not have been possible without the support of the 2024 Kia Pet Adoption Grant through the Petfinder Foundation.
