Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA: Grant Report

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

To purchase three outdoor Kuranda cat towers

Giving these felines an outlet for their energy makes them happier and more social. The towers give the kittens and cats a chance to "showcase" themselves. Instead of being in a kennel, they are outside, lazing in the sun, and looking highly adoptable to visitors. We take in hundreds of cats and kittens during the summer and early fall. Anything we can do to increase their adoptability is most appreciated.

How many pets did this grant help?

The cat towers have helped all of our cats and kittens. The towers give them the opportunity for daily exercise. They continue to provide extra benefits for our cats.

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

Mufasa is a 5-year-old male cat. He was picked up in the community as a stray in 2014 and turned in to the shelter. He was adopted and lived happily with his new family for two years. He developed some skin irritation, and the family decided to return him to the shelter because they couldn’t seem to resolve the skin issue. Upon his return, we discovered that he had a severe allergy to fleas. He was extremely sensitive, and didn’t really want anyone touching him.

We treated his condition, which gradually improved. After we put up the cat towers, Mufasa just loved to lounge around on the top level. Since he was out of his crate more, many more potential adopters were able to see him, and begin to learn about his personality. When he was in the kennel with his sensitive skin, he was quiet and withdrawn, and most visitors simply passed him by. When he had the chance to go outside, his true personality began to shine through. He looked very relaxed and happy and approachable as he lazed on the cat tower.

One of our young Kids Club volunteers simply fell in love with Mufasa. She took the time to visit him whenever she was at the shelter. Even though she had other cats at home, she convinced her parents that she needed to take Mufasa home. Mufasa’s adoption can be directly linked to the new cat towers, which were purchased thanks to a generous grant from the Petfinder Foundation.