Our Operation
With many animal rescues in the Bay Area, but none focused on the placement of shy, sensitive and older shelter cats, and cats with special needs, the need for Cat Town is clear.
While we are wholly independent of the shelter, Cat Town was created specifically to help cats who find themselves at Oakland Animal Services (OAS). Through an operating agreement with OAS, we only take cats from that shelter, not directly from the public. In exchange, OAS provides free spay/neuter and other medical services prior to the transfer of the cats to Cat Town. We are very grateful to OAS for their support!
Our work is focused on three primary areas. The first is the operation of a foster-based program to find loving temporary homes for our adoptable cats while trying to find them permanent ones. The second is our effort toward our larger goal of opening a cat sanctuary in Oakland. Third, we are determined to decrease the number of feral cats killed in the shelter each year by finding safe outdoor homes for them, and advocating for their right to exist in the city of Oakland.
Our Foster Program: Without a property, all Cat Town cats are currently in foster care. If you have a quiet space in your home and time to give a shy or sensitive cat your patience and TLC, you might be a great foster parent for a Cat Town cat.
If you need them, Cat Town will provide all necessary supplies and lots of support while you are fostering our cats. We handle all marketing of the cats and screen potential adopters.
Here is what one of our fosters has to say about her experience with Cat Town:
"Having only experienced volunteering at a shelter on a weekly basis, it has been such an uplifting shift to now foster cats through Cat Town. I've always been drawn to the "not-so-easily-adoptable" cats, so it has been a truly rewarding experience to witness how important a comfortable non-cage environment and daily human interactions are for the shyer cats. By providing these first steps, these cats are on their way to becoming wonderful adoptable pets.
The people at Cat Town are supportive, knowledgeable, hands-on, and address all questions and continuously replenish supplies. As we have fostered a number of cats just this year, adjustments are dealt with effectively and with awareness and sensitivity to our particular concerns. Since we started fostering for Cat Town in April, five of the cats we fostered have been adopted. Cat Town connects us to cats in need and it has been so satisfying to express our love for them by partnering with such a caring organization."
To find out more about fostering for Cat Town, please email us at info@cattownoakland.org.
Our Vision for a Cat Sanctuary in Oakland: When we started operations in March, 2011, our longer-term goal was to operate a cat sanctuary in Oakland, California. We are still committed to providing sanctuary for our cats, but are now focused on a model of smaller properties – or micro-sanctuaries – where a relatively small number of cats can live as long as it takes to find them homes. For our shyer cats, the smaller property will provide greater quality of life as each cat will have more love and attention than would be possible in a larger space. Also, for reasons having to do with zoning laws and financing, we have determined this is a much more feasible place to start.
Our Determination to Help Feral Cats in Oakland: Currently our work with feral cats is focused on helping get them out of the shelter into safe outdoor homes. We do this through finding people with gardens, farms or ranches, or other outdoor spaces with adequate shelter to provide a safe place for these cats. People commit to becoming caretakers to these cats by providing food and fresh water on a daily basis, as well as providing access to any necessary veterinary care. Cat Town provides all necessary supplies for the cat to get acclimated to the property prior to being released.
There are several great organizations in and around Oakland who focus on trap/neuter/return (TNR) and feeding feral cats.
www.fixourferals.org
www.feralcatfoundation.org
sites.google.com/a/hungrykittylimited.org/www/home
As we grow our capacity, we plan help with the critical work of TNR as well.
Through Cat Town we hope to build an ever-growing community of people who understand responsible cat ownership and are committed to helping homeless and feral cats in Oakland. Please join us!