River Kitty Cat Café has reached their 300th cat adoption just shy of their 2-year anniversary on Main Street in downtown Evansville, Indiana!
River Kitty opened on July 14th, 2017. The Vanderburgh Humane Society was their selected cat adoption partner and assisted the owners every step of the way in planning design, procedures, and safety with regard to the shelter cats in their establishment. Their initial goal was 10 adoptions per month. They have surpassed that goal nearly every month since they opened. Even in June of 2019 alone they facilitated 17 adoptions!
The 300th adoption has been processed. A young orange & white kitten named Morley will go home with his new family today. Morley was originally surrendered to the VHS in May, along with his mother Brynn, who is still currently up for adoption. Brynn & Morley came from a home with a multitude of other cats, and their owner simply got overwhelmed and had to surrender many of them. Now, Morley is looking forward to life with his new mom Brea Reynolds from Bicknell, IN!
Adult cats are one of the most difficult populations of animals that the VHS adopts out. Plus, this time of year, the shelter is inundated with kittens. Felines are so susceptible to stress-related illness or behavior problems in the shelter setting. River Kitty provides a serene, reduced-stress environment for anywhere from 10-15 of our adoptable cats (and sometimes kittens) while they wait on new families. They have done a fantastic job with their space and their brand, which ultimately benefits the VHS cat population in a big way. The VHS team is so thankful for River Kitty’s role as a feline satellite adoption center for the Tri-State. Owners Annette and Nancy, along with their team, have risen to the occasion with gusto.
The VHS takes in approximately 1700-1800 cats each year. Most of them find loving homes. But in 2015 and 2016, approximately 40-60 adult cats were euthanized for either a lack of space or minor behavioral problems that the shelter was not able to devote resources to addressing. Every year the live release rate improves, but there are almost always some cats who fall through the cats simply because there are so many cats and not enough cage space and adopters to save them all. In 2017, that number dropped below 30 cats, and River Kitty was only open for the second half of that year. Then in 2018, for the first time in our organization’s history, the VHS did not have to euthanize any cats for lack of space. River Kitty’s outstanding success has been the missing piece to help close that gap between life and death for adult VHS cats. Their business has significantly lifted the burden that constantly hangs over VHS staff and volunteers during “kitten season†every year: “Where in the world are we going to put all these cats?†2019 is on track to yield even better proportions of live outcomes for cats than ever before. And they show no sign of slowing down.
On Friday, July 5th, Morley’s new family will be picking him up at 4:00 pm and the media is invited. For interviews or photo opportunities ahead of time, please contact Amanda at the information above.
