Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are getting stylish, comfortable new cat habitats for our feline friends at our Oakland facility. 

Like all the environments in which we care for our pets, we have to look at many factors. It is not enough to get a bigger space. The space has to be easily disinfected to prevent the spread of disease, it has to be extremely durable and keep its appearance, and it has to display the animals well. In an era where we are fortunate enough to keep cats until they find a home, instead of some short, arbitrary amount of time, the cat's comfort becomes more and more critical to its mental health during its confinement. Finding something that meets all these needs is very difficult. 

To ensure we considered all our needs when deciding what to purchase, we created the Cat Comfort Committee, made up of staff and volunteers. We brainstormed ways to make our cats and kittens more comfortable and happy during their stay. Many small changes were implemented, but the biggest change was the recommendation to do away with our standard steel cages and replace them with newer cat "cubicles."

Not available when the adoption center was built in the early '90s, the new habitats are more spacious and brighter then the steel cages, and help prevent the spread of disease.

After several months of planning and measuring, we ordered the cages that you see below. 

These habitats come with three areas for the cat:  1) a living space, 2) a separate litter box compartment, and 3) an area for food and water. This makes cleaning the cages much faster and easier as we do not have to remove the cat from the unit during cleaning. The cats will also have more room and a perch to be on a higher level within the cage.

The cages have plexiglass with vents rather than bars. Since people will not be able to stick their fingers in through the bars, this will help passing contagious illnesses, like upper respiratory infection, from cat to cat. 

We know you will love the new habitats as much as we do and we are 100% sure our cats will go crazy for them!We anticipate them being installed in mid-June, but check back here for more updates.