Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter: Cat Castles Grant Report

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

We received a palate of cardboard cat castles that we use to give the cats in our care a little more space in their kennels. We also use them in our colony cat room so the cats have appropriate places to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of shelter life.

These cat castles have helped our organization immensely! Every cat in our stray cat room receives one in their kennel and it has shown to be very helpful in getting new cats acclimated to shelter life. Shy or scared cats now have a place to hide where they will feel safer and all of the cats in kennels have more usable kennel space because they are able to perch on top of the boxes. These boxes have also helped the cats who have already adjusted to the shelter and are in the adoptable cat area. In addition to the benefit of more usable cage space for those cats in kennels, those cats who live among others in a colony situation have also benefited from the cat castles because they provide cozy, quiet spaces for the cats to retreat to when they want to relax .

How many pets did this grant help?

100 and counting!

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

While these Cat Castles are great for all of the cats in the shelter, we have found them to be perfect nesting boxes for mother cats with nursing litters. For example, Juno came to us last month with two kittens, only days old. With the help of the Cat Castles we received, we were able to provide Juno with a safe place to hide her litter (in the bottom portion of the box). As the kittens got older and more ambulatory, the top portion of the box served as a great place for mom to get away from the kittens when she wanted alone time. Now that the kittens are 5 weeks old and more independent and playful, the Cat Castle serves as a fun item for the kittens to play in and around.