We started the new year off with a bang — and 42 adoptions! We’re so grateful to everyone who donated, shared our social media posts, and rooted for our cats from all corners of our community, because your support is what got these cats home.

Your donations purchased the supplies we needed to help 8 scared older kittens learn to trust people, so they could win their adopters’ hearts and find love in return. You got the word out to help us find fosters for 8 stressed cats, giving them a safe place to decompress, so their adopters could meet them at their best. You stuck by 3 senior cats, getting them medical support so they could land on their feet, and land wonderful homes.

Your support has also helped us fine-tune the operations at our Rockridge Pet Food Express adoption area to prepare for kitten season, and we had 18 kitten adoptions to show for it! We’re excited to help make this summer easier for shelter cats and kittens with this extra layer of support for our community.

Whether they were in our care for 2 days or 200, you made sure that all of these cats received the time and support they needed to have the best possible outcomes. Here are just a few of the lives you helped change last month!

**Artemis** came to the city shelter as a 14-year-old stray with abscessed wounds on her face. The shelter got her on the mend, but just as we were about to put her into foster care, her ward broke out with ringworm, meaning Artemis would need to quarantine before heading to a home. Fortunately, your support meant we had a Studio at our Adoption Center available, so she wouldn’t have to wait in a shelter cage! She soon got the all-clear to go to a foster home — and not long after, got adopted to a family with a 12-year-old cat to be her friend.

Charming **Yolo** was with us for only two weeks before snagging an adopter. This affectionate gal was trapped as a stray by a local rescue, but clearly knew her way around people. We brought her to our Adoption Center as a confident role model for some of our shyer cats like Challah and Waffles, below, and she quickly gained a reputation as a playful, cuddly gal. Her adopter now calls her Babka — a wonderfully appropriate name for such a sweet cat!

**Challah** and Waffles came to us as hissy kittens, terrified of people after living most of their lives on the streets. Challah was initially easier to pet, while Waffles quickly earned the nickname Queen of Growls by acting as her sister’s protector. Our volunteers used every trick — and treat, and toy — in the book to gain their trust. Over time, they made great progress with these youngsters in their Studio, and we eventually moved them to our free-roaming cat room to continue their growth with the help of confident cat role models. It was like a lightbulb went off — Waffles was soon running up to people to ask for pets. Their adopter is taking things nice and slow, giving them plenty of patience to remember all they’ve learned.

**Dragonfly** came to the shelter as a stray, and life in a cage had her stressed. She seemed starved for attention, but would nip when people tried to pet her. This conflicted cat mellowed out in foster care, and got much better at communicating when she wanted to play and when she wanted pets. She charmed her adopter so thoroughly that they brought her home on the spot! They told us, “It was a great choice for me to get a cat as I am really finding that it helps ease my stress. I just love playing with her!”

**Fjord** was a former shop cat surrendered to the shelter by his guardian. This 6-year-old boy has a sensitive spirit, and the sounds and smells of the shelter soon overwhelmed him. He hid and hissed on approach, so it took some time for shelter volunteers to successfully bribe him with treats and see a hint of his sweet side. We got him into a foster home where he could let his guard down — and discovered he needed to have a mouthful of bad teeth removed as well. With his pain and stress gone, this gentle boy could finally shine! His adopter reports that Fjord is a purr machine who now sleeps on their chest.

When these cats win, we all win — because the love in our community grows exponentially when everyone can experience the special companionship of a feline friend. Thank you again for helping us turn houses into homes for so many adopters in January!