Paws for Life Utah: Cat Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This money was used to purchase cat trees, toys, an outdoor run and cat beds for our cats to play in while they are waiting for their new forever homes. We purchased these items with the intention of using them for our cats and kittens to make their temporary home more enjoyable.
Because they were allowed to be in the adoptions building, free and playing on cat trees and with one another, the cats and kittens in our care were much less stressed and happy. In turn, they were much more friendly and easier to handle when potential adopters came to see them. These items directly helped us to adopt out 62 cats and kittens so far, and many more to come!
How many pets did this grant help?
62 to date and still counting!
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Sweet Honeycomb was brought in to our Heber Valley shelter, scared and shy, just as they were about to close one evening. She was a stray, tired and hungry. After her stray hold was up, Paws for Life Utah had her examined, spayed and given her immunizations. She was still scared and shy, but starting to trust the shelter staff. A beautiful 2-year-old domestic longhair, she just needed time and space to get her out of her shell. She did not show well to potential adopters at the shelter in her tiny kennel. We moved her to our adoptions center, where she had room to roam and cat towers to play in, and she came out of her shell! Her true spirit shined as she was so much more relaxed in her new environment with her new comfy bed, toys and tower. The first photo shows her just prior to her adoption.
Decan and Dino (second photo) came to us when an elderly gentlemen found them with their mother outside his apartment. Having no transportation, he asked that we come and get them and bring them to the shelter, which we did. The mother was sweet and the kittens were semi-feral. Working with them alongside their mother in the new environment, with toys to play with, cat trees to climb and siblings to run around with, was a joy. They no longer had to scrap for food and were becoming more and more friendly each day. Decan is still available for adoption; his link on Petfinder is www.petfinder.com/petdetail/42743508
We are so grateful to the Petfinder Foundation for helping us to rehome more cats and kittens by providing them with a much more comfortable, playful and stress-free environment while they wait to find their forever homes!
