Cat Town’s mission is to support overlooked cats who struggle in a shelter setting, so… why are we doing kitten adoptions at Pet Food Express? Lots of reasons, actually!
1. Urgent need
Over the past decade, the Oakland shelter’s cat intake has increased 63%. In 2022, we saw an unheard of 16% increase in intake over the previous year. The boom continues, with no slow season in sight for shelter cats — and with the city’s budget freeze, the need for support is urgent.
We see kittens pile up at the city shelter every year, making it hard for our at-risk cats to get the time they need for us to find them the right placement. For years, we’ve stepped in during kitten season to help make more space. This new kitten adoption area creates a sustainable set-up for us to provide support, and ultimately, buys more time for our core mission cats.
Our previous solution to helping clear shelter cages during kitten season was fun, but imperfect.
2. Convenience
You may remember the kitten pen we used to set up outside our Studios to help young kittens get adopted from our Adoption Center. That pen had its drawbacks: it was only able to hold one litter of kittens at a time, challenging for people with physical disabilities to navigate, and was difficult to clean — not to mention the extra-clever kittens who figured out how to escape!
With the new Pet Food Express kitten area, anyone can visit these little ones, and we can care for many more kittens with fewer resources. Pet Food Express covers the cost of space and supplies, so we’re able to increase our support without taking funds from the scared, sick, shy, and senior cats who depend on Cat Town.
The visiting room at our new Pet Food Express location allows potential adopters to meet kittens in an open, comfortable setting.
Shacka got adopted in February — a month we had a whopping 42 total adoptions!
3. Visibility
The Rockridge Pet Food Express is a highly trafficked shop with a targeted audience of animal lovers. The signage in this adoption area explains how their customers can adopt and volunteer at Cat Town, while also explaining our mission of helping overlooked shelter cats. This visibility has the potential to supercharge our support systems by introducing our work to many people who may have never heard of us before.
Reaching new audiences is an important strategy for Cat Town’s longevity. And, in terms of adoptions, this increased visibility seems to be helping. Comparing this year to the same period last year, we’ve seen a 20% increase in adoptions from our Adoption Center and foster program. Adding in the Pet Food Express kittens, we’ve supported 70% more cats in 2023 than in the same period in 2022 — answering the city shelter’s call for increased support.
Pet Food Express has worked with us to make this new adoption area safe, comfortable, and fun for every kitten who stays there.
4. Partnership
When Pet Food Express wanted to re-open their adoption area, we were the first rescue they asked, because they really care about our work. They’ve supported us since before the opening of our Adoption Center — and when we wanted to expand, they donated half of the construction funds to build our Studios. They donate supplies to us every year, and even have a cash back program that provides Cat Town with 4% of online shopping sales made through our unique link.
Truthfully, most corporate partners ask for loads in return for the kind of support that Pet Food Express provides, but they never ask for recognition. They help because it’s the right thing to do. Their staff — from corporate all the way to frontline folks — take pride in helping us, and feel excited with us when we succeed. It’s a collaboration that makes sense on every possible level!
The only way this project can succeed is with volunteer support, so we hope you’ll agree that this work does make a big difference. As we face the start of kitten season, we anticipate plenty of kittens at Pet Food Express. Many hands make light work, so if you’d like to be trained to look after these kittens with us, please complete our online volunteer application today!
Cinnabon got adopted at our Grand Opening on April 8 — along with 6 other kittens!