McKamey Animal Center: Cat Enrichment Grant Report

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

With our enrichment grant money we purchased 700 individual Stretch and Scratch cat scratchers.

Because of this grant we were able to purchase cat scratchers for individual cat kennels. On average we intake about 3,000 cats per year, so by receiving this grant we are able to provide natural enrichment to our feline population. As we all know, shelters are scary places for cats. By allowing them the freedom to express their natural scratching behavior, we tend to see happier, healthier cats in our care.

How many pets did this grant help?

So far this grant has helped just over 100 cats, but will continue to help many, many more over the course of the summer! We are just on the brink of kitten season, and this grant will allow us to place scratchers in 600 more kennels. Sometimes we will house three to four kittens per kennel, so there is potential to help almost 1,500 felines! Happy cats = healthy cats!

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

Kelly Clarkson is a sweet, active 2-year-old kitty who has found herself at the shelter three times since May 2019. She is super playful, high-energy, and thrives in a home that understands her energetic behavior. Since Kelly is not a fan of other cats, she awaited her new home in an adoption kennel – no fun for a playful kitty! Her personal cat scratcher provided her with so much joy, and allowed her to express her natural behaviors while waiting for her final forever home. Kelly Clarkson found a new home last week, with a family with respectful children and without cats. Her personal cat scratcher went home with her as well. It was her favorite!