July FURPOWER org – Petfinder Foundation!

I am so excited to share with you the organization I’ve chosen for my July FURPOWER organization. Pugsley and I decided to do something a little different this month and support an organization that supports MANY organizations. And has a unique way of doing that.

You are probably familiar with Petfinder, but did you know they have a foundation that does really cool things to help animals?

The Petfinder.com Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to ensure that no pet is euthanized for lack of a home. There are a variety of ways they can help achieve this goal that may not be so obvious. That’s why I love their Cat Hide Perch and Go Boxes program

These cleverly designed boxes give shelter cats a place to both hide and/or perch, depending upon their preference. The box (a specially coated/durable cardboard) also converts to a cat carrier—with each cat’s own familiar smells—that adopters can use to take him or her home. Studies have shown these boxes reduce stress (and therefore, illness) in both the shelter and the cat’s new home.

This really hits home with me. You guys may not know this but when my current staff came to see me for the first time at the rescue, I failed my interview miserably! They tell me I was unfriendly, skittish and basically did nothing to show I was even interested in a FURever home. Which is not true…but I was SCARED! And then when they did decide to take a chance on me (thank goodness!) I was so scared that I stayed in the basement for three days until I got really super hungry and then came out.

I think if I had something like a Hide, Perch and Go box, I might have felt more at ease. Luckily, my current staff decided to adopt me anyway but a lot of cats aren’t so lucky.

But the Petfinder.com Foundation is working to change that! In 2009, together with the Animal Rescue Site and the PETCO Foundation, the Petfinder.com Foundation delivered over 80,000 boxes to Petfinder.com members. In addition, another $75,000 grant was given to discount boxes for Petfinder.com members. WOW, that’s a lot of happy cats.

The Hide, Perch & Go Box when used at a shelter gives kittehs control over their environment, allowing them to relax and become more adoptable. The box then comes with the cats to their new home, giving them a familiar environment during the adjustment period.

So, in essence, these boxes help a cat get adopted….and stay adopted!

And, each box is around $3 so even a small donation can make a big difference in one cat’s life.

Please help me spread the word about this awesome program and if you have $1 to spare, consider donating to help more kittehs get adopted. You can make a donation here.

As always, thanks for supporting FURpower!

xoxo, R & P