Humane Society of Muskegon County: Cat Castles Grant Report

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

We were awarded 360 Cat Castles in January of 2014. We used these items to help give our kitties choices during the day and provide a feeling of safety and comfort.

These castles served a dual purpose while the cats were in our care and in their journey home. While here, the cats were able to use the boxes to hide in or play with. Also, as you can see in one of the pictures, the cats also saw these items as an enrichment item -- they chewed, scratched, pounced on and shimmied in and out of the castles on a daily basis. In the shelter, the cats suddenly had choices with how to spend their day thanks to these boxes.

Upon going home, the boxes helped make the initial transition period easier by bringing a smell familiar to the cat into a very unfamiliar environment.

How many pets did this grant help?

80 cats

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

Kitty Perry is a 2-year-old feline who has been enjoying her castle thoroughly. She has always had a quieter personality, and found the daily commotion of our cat room very stressful. Her posture had always been somewhat rigid and she was never completely at ease — until we introduced the cat castles to each kennel. Within days, Kitty Perry had discovered that she finally had control over her environment, choosing when to be seen and when to retreat. While still a shy girl, Kitty Perry is now more relaxed — she has a safe place to call her own within her kennel.

Visitors to our cat room continuously remarked at how much the cats all seemed to be enjoying their boxes — whether they were curled up sleeping inside, or jumping from shelf to box and back again, our cats have all been happier and more content.

Thank you Petfinder Foundation, Jackson Galaxy, Animal Rescue Site, and GreaterGood.org. We are humbly appreciative from the bottom of our hearts!

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/27465110/