OUR MISSION AND HISTORY
“Because of Cat Town, the shelter’s overlooked cats get attention and get adopted.”
Our Mission
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 — the shy ones learning to trust, the seniors seeking comfortable retirement homes, and the 'spicy' cats who just need the right approach. Through dedicated medical care, patient rehabilitation, and specialized foster 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.
Photo by David Yeung.
Our History
In 2011, many of Oakland’s shelter cats were left without options. The city’s open-admission shelter lacked the resources to support scared, sick, elderly, or emotionally shut down cats. Rescue organizations passed these cats over, focusing instead on helping young, healthy, confident cats in large numbers.
Cat Town was founded as a foster-based rescue to support these overlooked cats — those who were most in need of help yet weren’t receiving support. For many cats, a cage is a barrier to adoption, but in foster homes, these same fearful, stressed cats could feel safe, show their true selves, and find the adopters they deserved. Today, fostering remains central to Cat Town’s approach.
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 this cat cafe and adoption center, less confident cats 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.
By creating an opportunity to await adoption outside of a cage, Cat Town gives scared, sick, injured, and senior cats a second chance at finding loving homes. We now share this model with rescue organizations across the country, helping others reimagine what's possible for vulnerable cats.
Cat Town’s adoption center — America’s first cat cafe! Photo by Teresa Wood.