PAWS Atlanta, Inc.: Cat Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We are incredibly grateful for this wonderful grant to provide important cat enrichment items for the cats at our shelter. Two items we outlined in our original application were not available after we received our grant but were able to select similar items with comparable prices. Our grant was used to purchase:
HIPIPET Cat Tunnel Bed 3-in-1 Cat Bed, Cat Toys, Scratch-Resistant Cat Tunnels for Indoor Cats Play Tunnel Tube with Removable Washable Mat (Brown). Purchased through Amazon.com ($40.99 each x 4 units).
PetSafe Zoom - Automatic, Interactive, Rotating Laser Cat Toy with Two Lasers. Purchased through Amazon.com ($24.95 each x 4 units).
Cat's Meow Motorized Chaser Cat Toy. Purchased through Chewy.com ($19.99 each x 1 unit).
KONG Cat Playground Cat Toy. Purchased through Chewy.com ($19.99 each x 4 units).
SmartyKat Hot Pursuit Electronic Concealed Motion Cat Toy. Purchased through Chewy.com ($11.96 each x 2 units).
K&H Pet Products Nylon Hangin' Cat Condo. Purchased at Chewy.com ($98.99 each x 4 units).
Amazing cats come to our shelter at PAWS Atlanta every year as they wait to find their forever homes. During their time with us, they love to hang out and play in the four free-roaming rooms in our cat cottage. This is an incredibly important part of our facility. Each room (approximately 10’x 10’) provides plenty of space for cats to interact and play, including screened-in window-box enclosures and a screened-in porch where our feline friends can enjoy fresh air and sunshine on a nice day. The toys, tunnels, and condos have been placed in these four rooms. It did not take long before our cats were enjoying these new additions to their space! This enrichment for PAWS Atlanta has been especially important. We strongly believe in giving our cats the most loving care and stimulating spaces that we can. By having funds to purchase these items, it helps us do exactly that for them. It has also helped us keep our expenses down as we continue to deal with the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are extremely grateful for this support! Thank you!
How many pets did this grant help?
Over the course of a year, we expect that approximately 425 cats will benefit from the enrichment items. We purchased our items at the end of March 2020 and have so far had about 50 cats enjoying the toys, tunnels, and condos in our cat cottages.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
One of our cats who took an immediate shine to the new enrichment items was Billie (first photo), a 1-year-old black-and-white beauty. It was no time before she was playing with the laser toys (who wouldn’t love that?), climbing through the tunnels, and taking a snooze in the cat condos. Billie has a beautiful singing voice, which caught the attention of one of our prospective pet parents. We were incredibly excited when, after being at PAWS Atlanta since April 26, 2020, Billie went to her forever home on April 13, 2021.
Another big fan of the Petfinder Foundation’s generosity is the adorable Ditto (second photo). Ditto came to PAWS Atlanta in March 2021 completely feral, under-socialized, and scared. In no time, she began opening up, even letting some of our staff pet her. She loves the other cats and is particularly fond of one that came in with her, Matthew. He’s a bit shy too, but they find comfort in feline companionship. Ditto is making great progress! She has really been enjoying lounging in the hanging cat condos and tunnels. Who says feral cats don’t know how to enjoy a good toy and a great place to take a nap? Ditto is still available for adoption. Meet Ditto here.
