Bladen County Animal Shelter: Stretch and Scratch Cat Scratchers Grant Report

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

We are using the Stretch and Scratch Grant as a learning tool for the adoptable cats in our shelter it will help encourage appropriate scratch behavior. The Stretch and Scratch cat scratcher also helps the cats to relieve built up stress from the shelter environment.

We placed a Stretch and Scratch cat scratcher in every cat kennel for the cats available for adoption. All of the cats enjoyed the scratchers and we found that they were great enrichment tools. Cats can become bored in a shelter environment without something to satisfy their natural desire to scratch. The cat scratchers were a wonderful asset in this area. The Stretch and Scratch cat scratcher will also encourage the cats when they go to their new home to scratch at the appropriate places.

How many pets did this grant help?

The Stretch and Scratch grant has helped 53 cats at our shelter so far.

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

The Stretch and Scratch grant has helped alot of adoptable cats in our shelter. The one that I feel it has benifited the most is Lee (see attached picture of black/white kitten). He came into the shelter very unsocialized and skittish. With a little TLC and the benefit of having the capability to use the Stretch and Scratch cat scratcher, Lee has become a sweet, playful and energetic kitten. Everyone enjoys watching Lee play and scratch at his cat scratcher. We have high hopes that he will find a new forever home soon.