Spring marks the beginning of “kitten season” which typically runs through October, a time of year when thousands of homeless kittens and cats overwhelm animal shelters across the country. Each year, roughly 3.2 million cats enter our nation’s shelters.

Over the years, we have dedicated resources to help promote cat adoptions and fund lifesaving initiatives nationwide. 

Los Angeles Adoptions

The ASPCA has a strong local presence in Los Angeles and works closely with the community there. Through our work with L.A. County Animal Care and Control, we continue providing grant funding to go towards reduced or fee-waived feline adoptions (including kittens). To help encourage even more cat adoptions in the L.A. area, we provided a grant of $400,000 to L.A. Animal Services (LAAS) in 2019. With this financial aid, LAAS is able to waive or reduce adoption fees for many cats and kittens in their care.

Research has shown that eliminating fees increases adoptions and engages communities to help felines in need. Fee-waived adoptions can save thousands of shelter cats from months-long stays in a shelter and the special promotion can help them receive more publicity through increased foot traffic to shelters and views of adoptable animals online.

Assistance in Northern Regions

The ASPCA Northern Tier Shelter Initiative (NTSI) provides consultations, training and grants to animal welfare agencies in Midwestern and Northwestern states—Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. In April 2016, we began working with Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter (YVAS) in Billings, Montana, with an initial consultation and site visit. Our team provided support and guidance on population management, cat housing and shelter illness. 

Later that year, a plan was put in place with our recommendations and we provided a grant of $27,000 to help cover costs to achieve improvements, including new caging, feline furnishings that were non-porous (easier to disinfect), a Rescue™ sanitation system and cat cage portals.  

A cat at YVAS enjoying using a new portal.

In 2018, YVAS was ready to put the plan in motion—and one year later the incredible results were clear!

As a result of these grant funded changes made to the shelter, by 2019, they had decreased the average length of stay for a cat by four days from 22 days to 18 days. 

“We are happy about the reduced length of stay and other improvements that Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter has accomplished with the help of the grant and NTSI’s guidance,” says Kay Joubert, Shelter Outreach Director for Northern Tier Shelter Initiative. “We are encouraged about the positive changes for the animals in their care.” 

YVAS also shared that they increased cat adoptions by 63% and decreased euthanasia in cats by 78% from 2018 to 2019.

A cat snuggling in their new hidey box.

In L.A. and at YVAS, the combination of the expertise from ASPCA professionals and our grants have helped cats be more comfortable at the shelter and find loving homes faster. We continue to work across the country to help local animal welfare groups improve their strategy and structure to benefit animals in need.