Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends: Cat Enrichment Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

AARF submitted an application for the Petfinder Foundation Cat Enrichment grant to fund activities and tools for our cats' mental and physical stimulation during inevitable periods of separation from AARF staff and volunteers. With the grant funding, we were able to purchase items that combine mental and physical activity, in addition to enhancing the look of our cat-adoption rooms!

AARF purchased On2Pet's literal "cat trees," which give cats a sense of the outdoors by incorporating safe, imitation foliage. These multi-level perches are also equipped with scratchpads on each level to stimulate feline touch. The cat trees provide vertical space for cats to climb for exercise as well as hiding spots for play.

How many pets did this grant help?

8

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

These trees were purchased in part to provide an exercise opportunity for AARF’s residents who are currently overweight.

Tito (first photo), 9.5 years, and Nola (second photo), 5.5 years, are two residents on weight-loss programs who have found the trees appealing. While they might prefer to sit at the base, they both have climbed upward to explore the leaves.

The trees were also purchased to help shy cats come out of their shells with a new activity. Flora (third photo), 1.5 years, and the most reserved of a litter of three, has taken to the trees extremely well, lounging, gnawing, and playing with her sister and mother on multiple levels.

Flora’s personality has been front and center as she rules the roost, demonstrating the benefits of mental stimulation in the cat-adoption space. Her activity in the trees is also providing more opportunities for socialization as she becomes more visible, and adoption as she models for purrfect photos!