SPCA of Bradley County: Cat Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We used the grant monies to purchase Stretch and Scratch cat scratchers for all the kitties in the shelter!
Our cats are currently housed in recycled ferret cages, and have just enough room for their bedding and their litter boxes, which makes playtime difficult. By purchasing the Stretch and Scratch cat scratchers, we are able to encourage their natural instincts to stretch and SCRATCH! It was so heartwarming the first day that we received them and put them all up. Pretty much every cat started using them! We write the cat's name on the scratcher, and when they get adopted to their new home we send the scratcher along with them. This helps their transition because they have something that is familiar to them, and it also helps us educate the adopter about cat enrichment.
How many pets did this grant help?
250-500
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
This grant has made so many kitties happier, healthier and more adoptable during their stays with us. There is one story, however, that sticks out! Lil Mama (first photo) came to the shelter in May of 2021 as a very pregnant stray. She had her kittens and was being a good mama.
She raised her babies in the stressful shelter environment and grew them into cute, quickly-adopted fluffballs. Once her babies were gone, Lil Mama’s pre-shelter personality came out and she was eager to get out of her kennel and be a cat (second photo)!
She did not show well because she would bat at people who walked by and mess up her kennel in an effort to pass the boring hours. We sent her into a foster home, where she was very loved but very much liked to use her nails and became destructive to rugs and furniture — so back to the shelter she came.
Within a couple of weeks, we received our Petfinder Foundation grant and purchased our Stretch and Scratch cat scratchers, and guess what? She LOVED HER SCRATCHER! Lil Mama tore through those scratchers and had the best time (photos 3-5).
Once she was able to engage in her natural behaviors, she became more accustomed to life with us, and two or three weeks later, she was adopted. A delightful family came in to look at cats and their little girl fell in love with Lil Mama (sixth photo).
She was sent home with her scratcher (last photo), and we recommended that the adopters get her a huge cat tree with a cat scratcher. We are so happy that we were not only able to find Lil Mama a new home, but that we were able to make her life more enjoyable during her stay with us. It’s not easy being a shelter kitty!
