Humane Society of Barron County: Cat Enrichment Grant Report

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

With the funding, we were able to purchase a large, fully sanitizable tower for our main community cat room. Cats now have room to climb, stretch, hide, play, and relax in this shared space. This has created so many more opportunities for cats to engage in natural behaviors in this space.

How many pets did this grant help?

200+

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

Mrs. Dot (first photo) was one of the Humane Society of Barron County’s longest residents, spending more than seven months at the shelter. The staff at HSBC were told that Dot did not like other cats, and she spent several months alone in a kennel.

Unfortunately, Dot was shy, and although the staff knew how sweet she was, she was overlooked by adopters.

When HSBC received the new activity tower thanks to the grant from the Petfinder Foundation, the staff knew it was time to give Dot a chance to try life in the community room. Dot was shy at first, but quickly found her new favorite place at the top of the tower.

From there, she could watch over the room, have time for herself, and, once she felt confident, even invited others up to hang out. Any time someone entered the room, Dot would rest her head over the edge of her perch to say “hello.” This won the hearts of everyone who visited the room.

As Dot gained confidence in her new space, she slowly became more active, curious, and happier than ever. Thanks to this confidence and how adorable she looked peeking over the edge from her perch, Dot soon found a perfect family of her own. We are happy to report that Dot will be spending the holidays in her forever home this holiday season!