OUR MISSION AND HISTORY
“Because of Cat Town, the shelter’s overlooked cats get attention and get adopted.”
Our Mission
At Cat Town, our mission is cats. Together, we save the lives of at-risk cats, find them loving homes, and advocate for a future where every cat is valued.
We believe every cat deserves a chance to thrive. Our work focuses on the cats who need extra time and care — shy kittens learning to trust, seniors seeking comfortable retirement homes, and wary, defensive cats who just need the right approach to build a connection.
Through dedicated medical care, patient rehabilitation, and our specialized programs, we help cats overcome the challenges that might otherwise limit their futures. Every cat we save strengthens our commitment to a future where no healthy, treatable cat loses their life simply because they lack a home.
Our innovative approach to rescue creates lasting connections that benefit both cats and the people who love them.
Photo by David Yeung.
Our History
In 2011, more than 40% of the cats entering Oakland's municipal shelter were euthanized. The city’s open-admission shelter lacked the resources to support scared, sick, elderly, or emotionally shut down cats. Senior cats and cats with minor medical issues were euthanized quickly. Volunteers who worked with fearful cats, and saw their potential, would return to the shelter for their next shift to find those cats had been euthanized. Rescue organizations passed these cats over, focusing instead on helping young, healthy, confident cats in large numbers. The prevailing belief was that no one wanted them — they were considered "unadoptable."
Cat Town was founded by Ann Dunn to challenge that assumption.
We began as a foster-based rescue focused on the cats most at risk: those who needed help the most, but were the least. likely to receive intervention. We recognized that for many cats, the shelter environment itself was a barrier to adoption. In foster homes, fearful and stressed cats could finally feel safe enough to show their personalities, build confidence, and connect with adopters. More than a decade later, foster care remains at the heart of our work.
Fostering has always been a core strategy for how we support at-risk cats. Photo by Nicole Dial.
In 2014, Cat Town launched the first cat cafe in the United States in collaboration with the Cat Man of West Oakland. The space was designed to give the overlooked cats who are core to our mission a better chance to thrive and connect with potential adopters. In our cat cafe and adoption center, less confident cats can learn from observing more outgoing companions, and sick and injured cats can heal more quickly, without cage stress. In 2017, Cat Town doubled the size of our adoption center to create private spaces for cats with more specialized needs. This expansion was made possible thanks to Maddie's Fund and Pet Food Express.
Cat Town was built on a simple belief: the cats others had written off were good cats. They weren't unadoptable — they were overwhelmed. We also believed our community would step up for them if given the opportunity. We were right.
By giving vulnerable cats the support they need to be themselves, and connecting with our community, Cat Town has helped thousands of scared, sick, injured, and senior cats find loving homes. Today, we share what we've learned with shelters and rescue organizations across the country, helping others reimagine what's possible for cats who are too often overlooked.
Cat Town’s adoption center — America’s first cat cafe! Photo by Teresa Wood.