Cat Town: COVID-19 Operation Grant Report

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

Due to the shelter-in-place order for Alameda County, Cat Town closed our brick-and-mortar adoption center on March 16 and moved all of our cats into foster homes. Funds from the 2020 COVID-19 Operation Grant, along with other sources of funding, were used to provide care for these cats until they were adopted or able to be returned to the adoption center in July.

The grant helped us respond quickly to the changing circumstances related to COVID operations. Due to closing our adoption center, we had a significant loss of program revenue, but the cats needed the same level of exceptional care. Financial support from the Petfinder Foundation helped us continue our operations without interruption.

How many pets did this grant help?

30

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

Sometimes it takes a few tries before a cat finds their perfect match. Star is one of those cats. Star had been living at our adoption center off and on for three years. She had been adopted and returned three times during that time. The first time Star was adopted, we learned she needed someone who could read even the most subtle of messages that flicker across a wary cat’s eyes. The second time she was adopted, we learned she needed someone patient, who could wait her out as she hid for days on end. The third time, we learned she needed someone without a chimney to hide in.

When the COVID crisis hit the nation, we had to move all our cats into foster homes quickly. With financial help from the Petfinder Foundation, we worked fast to carefully match each cat with a home that would suit their personality. And in this moment, Star was one of the cats who needed someone. We wanted her to feel safe as her world was turned upside down yet again, and she prepared to go to a fourth home.

So faced with this urgent need, Cat Town staff member Camden took her in as a temporary foster until Star could return to our Adoption Center. But something surprising happened: Star immediately made herself at home. She explored, then hid until he came near. She rubbed her face on all the things. She jumped into bed for snuggles, expectantly waiting for him to follow her. Eventually, after weeks of separation, scent-swapping, lots of cat treats, and supervised visits, it seemed that even Camden’s other cat felt the arrangement was acceptable.

And with that, there was no going back. Camden made it official and adopted Star (first photo). She is finally and truly home.