9 Lives for $9 Results Are In!
Here’s a riddle for the animal lovers out there…
What has 6 toes, a pink nose, medium length white fur, and lives at the shelter?
Don’t know the answer?
It’s a cat named Dixie, and unfortunately, one of the most compelling reasons that cats like Dixie do not get adopted is for circumstances they cannot control; they’re adult cats.
Adult cats and un-weaned kittens comprise the majority of animals dying in shelters, and in an effort to curb these euthanasia numbers, the Found Animals Foundation created and funded a promotion this summer that directly targeted the adult cat population. The 9 Lives for $9 promotion was honored at 18 individual shelter locations throughout Los Angeles. The adoption fee for any cat over the age of 9 months was only $9! The $9 adoption fee included the spay/neuter, a pet microchip and the first set of vaccines for the animal.
The goal of 9 Lives for $9 was to incentivize adult cat adoptions in a way that made the public aware of the plight of adult cats in shelters and to persuade adopters into considering bringing an adult animal into their homes.
Earlier in the summer we wrote an article highlighting the benefits of adopting an older cat. The article kick started the 9 Lives for $9 promotion and brought potential adopters into the shelter to take home an animal at a great price. In a little over 3 months, 9 Lives for $9 sent home nearly 1300 cats over the age of 9 months. These adoptions resulted in a 36% increase in adult cat adoptions among the participating shelters which included; Los Angeles Animal Services, the Department of Animal Care and Control, SEAACA, spcaLA, Long Beach Animal Care Services, Adopt & Shop and The Best Friends Animal Society.
3 Los Angeles area shelters including the City of Los Angeles Animal Services’ Harbor Shelter and South LA Shelter and the Department of Animal Care and Control’s Baldwin Park Shelter led the promotion with a stunning 100% and above increase in adult cat adoptions over the previous year.
During the summer months, shelters are flooded with cats and kittens, most of which do not make it out alive. Kennel staff are faced with the reality of taking in more animals than they know they can find homes for. As a result of the 9 Lives for $9 promotion, the animals at the very bottom of the adoption totem pole were able to find their fur-ever homes with loving citizens of the greater Los Angeles area.
9 Lives for $9 was a success in more ways than one. Not only did the promotion increase adult cat adoptions, but it also energized shelter staff, reduced stress on other animals that remained at the shelter and proved that adult cats make amazing pets, no matter the price!
Visit our website for more information about adopting an adult cat.
Did you adopt a cat during our 9 Lives for $9 promotion? Leave a comment below.
What a great idea! Older cats can be just as loving and adorable as the little kittens.
[...] 1,300 adult cats were adopted through our 9 Lives for $9 promotion this summer, which represents a 36% increase over the same period last [...]