Here Today Adopted Tomorrow Animal Sanctuary, Inc.: Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The grant money was used to reduce adoption fees for spirit cats (shy/fearful cats) and chronically ill cats and help pay their medical bills before and after adoption (our Care for Life Program).
Since becoming open-admission in 2018, Here Today Adopted Tomorrow (HTAT) has been taking in more cats that are traditionally seen as hard to adopt. The Purina New Year, New Home grant has helped us remove the barrier of price from adoption. When combined with HTAT’s innovative adoption programming for special-needs cats, we have been able to find furever homes for cats whom we would have been unable to help before, including shy/fearful cats and chronically ill cats, making it possible for HTAT to remain open-admission and no-kill to more effectively serve our community.
How many pets did this grant help?
To date, nine cats have been adopted and seven are currently on the adoption floor because of funds from this grant.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
George (first photo) is a tuxedo cat who came in when his owner passed away. He had just been diagnosed as a diabetic. He would sometimes get a bit cranky with the other cats, but once his blood sugar was under control, he became a new cat. He is 10 years old but plays like a kitten. He loves children, almost more than adults. Catherine and her fiancé walked in one day and fell in love with him. Catherine is a home health aide, so giving George his insulin shots was no big deal to her. The cost of his care, on the other hand, was daunting. Thanks to the Purina New Year, New Home grant, George is in our Care for Life program and HTAT is helping to pay for his medical care. Now George lives with Catherine and her family and has a little girl (Catherine’s daughter) to call his own.
Mr. Bigglesworth (second photo) came to HTAT at 5 years old as a timid cat after living his life outside. He had an upper-respiratory infection and a mouth infection and needed a dental. Chou Chou (third photo) was a shy kitten who wanted nothing more than to sit in a warm lap. Mr. Bigglesworth and Chou Chou are both tuxedo cats, so it was often assumed that they were related. However, they were just two stray cats from two different towns who happened to arrive at HTAT at about the same time. Both cats have feline leukemia (FeLV).
In most shelters, cats with FeLV don’t get a chance. They are simply euthanized, regardless of whether they are currently healthy or not. At Here Today, we believe that every cat deserves a chance, and we have a special room just for FeLV+ cats because FeLV is easily transmitted between cats. Thanks to the Purina New Year, New Home grant, we were able to get Mr. Bigglesworth and Chou Chou the medical care and testing they needed to be ready for adoption. The reduced adoption fee and the Care for Life program help nudge adopters who may be hesitant to adopt our FeLV+ cats.
Barbara and her daughter already had an FeLV+ cat named Clown at home and wanted some friends for her. They were excited to adopt BOTH Mr. Biggleswoth and Chou Chou. Both cats are doing well in their new home. Mr. Bigglesworth is enjoying more human interaction and Chou Chou is acting like a real kitten. See the picture of her cuddling with her new friend Clown (fourth photo).
Also included are photos of a few cats currently up for adoption thanks to the Purina New Year, New Home grant:
Chai (fifth photo): Diabetic, Care for Life Meet Chai here.
Addie (sixth photo): Tail-pull Injury, Care for Life Meet Addie here.
July (sixth photo): Spirit Cat Meet July here.
Clarissa (seventh photo): Spirit Cat Meet Clarissa here.