CAT’s mission is to work with our community to save the lives of homeless, sick and injured cats and kittens by offering shelter, adoption, foster, hospice, and veterinary services to end needless feline euthanasia in our community.
The Cat Adoption Team is the largest feline-only, limited admission, non-profit shelter in the Pacific Northwest. CAT saves over 3,300 lives each year.
In addition to taking in many young, healthy cats and finding them homes, CAT also cares for senior cats and cats with special medical needs, ranging from fracture injuries to diabetes. When they are well, CAT finds homes for those cats, too.
Over 73 percent of CAT’s intake comes from other organizations. CAT works closely with shelters, animal control agencies, veterinary offices, and rescue organizations to take in or rehabilitate many cats or kittens who may be running out of options due to medical needs or space constraints.
CAT experienced some dips during the recession. As we began to emerge on the other side, we had some great successes. A huge thanks to CAT’s donors, volunteers, and adopters for their continued support.
Intake:
Spay/Neuter:
Internet Networking:
CAT’s In-Shelter Boutique top sellers
Thank you for wanting more information about CAT and our cats for adoption.
Personality Description
Wondering what a Personal Assistant is? Or why we say a cat is the Leader of the Band?
Click here for details on their Felineality.
Hours and Location of Shelter
CAT’s main shelter is in Sherwood, Oregon.
Click here for directions.
Adoption Centers
CAT has many adoption centers inside pet supply stores around the Portland area.
Click here for specific locations.
Adoption Fees
Click here. And be sure to check the calendar as well. We often have adoption promotions.
How to Adopt from CAT
Here’s our adoption process and policies.
CAT takes in cats and kittens in a limited capacity – meaning there is a maximum number of cats we can take in and there is a criteria for what felines our animal shelter can take in, care for, and find homes for. As a private nonprofit, we must balance the needs of the community and the needs of the cats in our care, while being good stewards of the money voluntarily donated to us.
In order to provide quality care and optimal chances at adoption, CAT does have guidelines on how many FIV+, senior, and special care cats we can have in the shelter. To that end, we limited those admissions to keep the shelter population balanced and healthy.
There is also a limit to the number of cats and kittens our organization can care for. CAT does not want to bring in more felines than we can manage in a healthy, respectful, loving way.
CAT is an adoption guarantee shelter that saves the lives all the healthy and treatable animals in our care.
CAT does not euthanize for space and is able to provide medical care for cats other animal shelters may not have the resources to care for. This does not mean that CAT never euthanizes. When a medically fragile (terminal) cat can no longer be kept pain-free and the quality of life is severely diminished, CAT’s medical team may elect to humanely euthanize the cat.
Our goal is to provide each cat with the best possible chance of finding a loving home. A home is truly the best place for any domestic cat.
CAT partners with shelters in the Portland area to make sure no healthy, adoptable cat is ever euthanized. In fact close to 73 percent of the cats in our care come to us through this network. Through our transfer program, CAT is able to be part of a community-wide effort to end needless feline euthanasia. We also provide re-homing tips for cat owners to use to avoid relinquishing their pet to an animal shelter.
CAT weathered the economic storm pretty well thanks to the dedication and hard work of volunteers and staff. And a huge thanks to CAT’s donors for their continued support.
Intake:
Spay/Neuter:
CAT’s In-Shelter Hospital:
Internet Networking:
Best Sellers at CAT’s in-Shelter Boutique:
We look forward to helping you.
CAT’s street and mailing address is:
14175 SW Galbreath Drive
Sherwood, OR 97140
Phone: (503) 925-8903 (operator answers during shelter hours)
Find the answer to your question on CAT’s website
CAT’s Sherwood Shelter hours are:
Monday - Friday: 11 am until 7 pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10 am until 6 pm
Please note that adoptions end 30 minutes prior to closing.
CAT closes at 3 pm on December 24 and December 31.
CAT’s Sherwood shelter is only closed on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Check out CAT’s Portland-area offsite adoption locations.
Please click on the topic you would like more information about. We hope the information on the cooresponding web page will answer your questions. If not, press the “Email” button on that page and we will respond within 72 hours.
I am interested in information about (please select):
CAT measures success in the purrs of the cats in our care.
We also measure success through improvements in our work for the cats - how many found homes, how many were saved, how many treated in the hospital, how many fed.
That is what CAT’s statistic (or CATistics) are. The numbers behind the furry faces we all love.
CAT is pleased to share with you our Asilomar Reporting Form and shelter statistics.
Click on our Publications page to see our current annual report.
If you have any questions about the numbers you see, please contact us.
CAT weathered the economic storm pretty well thanks to the dedication and hard work of volunteers and staff. And a huge thank you to CAT’s donors for their continued support.
Adoption:
Intake:
Spay/Neuter:
Cat Food Bank:
Volunteerism
New Donation Programs:
Internet Networking:
It’s getting cold out there.
Snuggle up this winter with some new CAT gear available only at CAT’s in-shelter Boutique.
Warm sweatshirts ($40) and long-sleeved T-shirts ($20) are sure to keep you cozy.
Available in various sizes and colors.
Yes.
Qualifed cat owners can have their cat/kitten fixed for $10 through the Spay & Save program.
CAT’s Hospital is one of a few clinics in the Portland-area that accepts the Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund discounted coupons. By using one of these coupons, you will signficantly reduce the cost of this life-saving surgery. Click here to download a coupon.
Also, check out other resources available to pet owners.
Microchips are the best back up for a collar and visible identification tag. All pets, even indoor-cats, should wear an ID tag with a contact number on it, preferably your cell number.
Microchips are a safe, permanent way to identify your cat. Having your pet injected with a microchip greatly increases the chances he or she will be returned to you when lost.
To detect a microchip, which is a small computer chip (about the size of a rice grain) injected between the animal’s shoulder blades, the animal must be scanned and the unique identification number will be read. This number is entered into a database and the owner can easily be contacted.
CAT microchips all cats adopted through our shelter.
The Finding a New Home web page contains information on CAT’s intake policy and links to other resources.
We want to do everything possible to help you keep your pet.
We also urge pet owners to utilize other resources to find their pet a new home (click here for tips on rehoming).
When you contact CAT at (503) 925-8903, voicemail box 8, you will be asked several questions about your pet and situation. Our staff will provide you with helpful information on how you might change a behavior difficulty or give you information on other community resources to place your companion animal, as well as the opportunity to schedule an appointment to bring your cat to CAT’s shelter. There are times when CAT’s intake appointments are full and there is a waiting list for future appointment dates. CAT does not take walk-in appointments.
There may be an intake fee requested of $40 or more.
Yes.
We are committed to ending pet overpopulation and consider spaying and neutering the number one solution to this tragic problem.
Many of our cats are already spayed or neutered before coming to CAT. Those who have not been are spayed/neutered while they are at the shelter. One hundred percent of the cats and kittens adopted are already surgically altered before they go home.
Congratulations on deciding to adopt a feline friend.
Click here to read CAT’s adoption policies, process, and fees before you visit CAT’s shelter or one of our Portland-area adoption outreach locations.
Yes.
You can find purebreds when you search through our cats for adoption. You can search by breed.
It is estimated that about 20 percent of the animals you will find in an animal shelter are purebreds.
The Cat Adoption Team is dedicated to providing each cat who comes to our shelter the best possible care and chances for a new family.
A cat who comes to CAT with no real medical issues may spend up to 25 days at the shelter prior to adoption. Some may be here only for a day or two, others a little longer than the average.
If a cat comes to the shelter with an injury or treatable condition, the Hospital staff will provide appropriate care before that cat is placed into the shelter for adoption. This increases the average time before adoption to 34 days.
CAT has over 88 volunteer foster families who care for newborns, pregnant cats, and recuperating cats until they are ready to be placed up for adoption. In addition, foster families will shelter and care for animals when the shelter is full or if an individual animal needs a break from the stress of staying in the shelter and the other cats. Our foster families directly saved the lives of over 768 animals in 2011 alone.
CAT is an adoption guarantee shelter that saves the lives all the healthy and treatable animals in our care.
Remain calm and start looking right away.
Please click here for helpful advice, tips, and resources that will help you find your cat.
There are several ways you can help this kitty:
Thank you
Volunteers are extremely essential to CAT’s success in helping all the felines possible.
If you love cats, are a people-person, and can make a commitment to provide at least eight hours of service a month to CAT for at least six months, please click here for more details on all the volunteer opportunities offered at the Cat Adoption Team.
There are several ways to reach someone at the Cat Adoption Team:
By Phone: (503) 925-8903
By e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Cat Adoption Team seeks out and cultivates partnerships with other shelters and organizations in the Portland-area and Willamette Valley, and across Oregon. Through these partnerships, CAT helps them reduce their feline euthanasia rates by transferring cats and kittens to CAT’s shelter for adoption.
CAT encourages anyone who finds a lost cat to first take the cat to their local animal control. Please read CAT’s lost & found information for more details.
The Cat Adoption Team finds homes for thousands of cats and kittens.
In 1998, when CAT was founded, 219 felines found homes. Since then CAT’s adoption rates increased dramatically.
In 2011, 2,482 cats and kittens became family members through CAT’s adoption program; this represents a 1,033 percent INCREASE since our founding. Almost 73 percent of the cats and kittens we find homes for came to CAT from other shelters, such as animal control. And, amazingly enough, kitten adoptions are only slightly more on average than adult cat adoptions.
Check out CAT’s annual shelter statistics.
This year, CAT hopes to find homes for over 2,700 cats.
Yes.
CAT’s website has a search feature.
Look at the upper right corner of the web page you are on, above the kitten photo, and you will see our search box.
Type in a word or phrase and hit your enter button.
The Cat Adoption Team is open:
Please note that we stop processing adoptions 30 minutes prior to closing.
As a responsible sheltering organization, CAT freely discloses its shelter statistics to make you aware of the number of cats coming to the shelter, the treatment they receive, and how many are successfully placed in loving homes.
The Cat Adoption Team uses the nationally recognized shelter statistic gathering and reporting methods as set forth in the Asilomar Accords. Click here to review CAT’s shelter reporting forms for:
The collection and publication of this data is sponsored by Maddie’s Fund.
CAT collects shelter statistics as a member of the Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland, or ASAP.
2008 was a good year for CAT despite the year ending with a snow storm and a recession.
These year-end statistics tell a hopeful tale.
CAT’s adoption program is quite successful this year even with more cats and kittens coming to the shelter for assistance. And CAT’s 11 adoption outreach locations are really having an impact. CAT brings felines right to your neighborhood and more are finding their new families through these off-site locations.
Spay/neuter programs across the city seem to be making a dent in the overpopulation of cats as we see a slight decrease in the number of kittens and pregnant mom cats coming into the foster care program.
Adoptions:
Intake:
Spay/Neuter:
CAT is located in Sherwood, Oregon.
Click here for hours, location, contact information, and directions.
CAT also has several offsite adoption locations across the Portland area.
Shelter Associate (1 full-time position)
CVT
Foster Program Assistant
We currently has one opening (full time, consisting of 35-40 hours/week) for an Animal Shelter Associate.
This extremely rewarding position offers the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of cats and people every day.
Candidates should be prepared to complete a multitude of different tasks, from direct animal care to compassionate client care, all in the scope of a single day. We are looking for candidates who are demonstrated problem solvers and customer service superstars and who can remain calm, helpful, and professional, even in the face of emotionally taxing situations. Priority will be given to candidates with animal welfare, animal sheltering, animal control, or veterinary experience.
Because CAT is open to the public seven days a week, candidates interested in the full time position must be willing to work both Saturday and Sunday on a regular basis.
Compensation: $9 an hour plus benefits
If you are interested in either of these fulfilling positions, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) a cover letter and resume or drop off in person at 14175 SW Galbreath Dr., Sherwood, OR 97140. Please note: resumes received without a cover letter will not be reviewed.
CAT currently has an opening for a full-time Certified Veterinary Technician. The Certified Veterinary Technician is an integral part of the veterinary team which provides the highest quality care for the cats and kittens in our care. CVT’s project the professional image of our organization in dealing with adopters, clients, foster parents, and volunteers. The CVT will work with all staff members and volunteers to help CAT succeed in its mission of adopting out healthy cats and kittens to loving homes.
Interested candidates should be willing to work at least one weekend day every week.
Duties & Responsibilities:
• Provide and oversee medical treatment, husbandry, and care to all cats in our care.
• Provide direct assistance to veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, veterinarians, and volunteers in order to improve the productivity of the veterinary team.
• Supervise, motivate, and train volunteers in the hospital and shelter in regard to daily duties and overall function. Work with the CAT Volunteer Services Manager to fill volunteer needs in the hospital.
• Maintain medical records, schedule, and appropriate medical documentation as well as financial documentation. Including: radiology, anesthesia, and drug records.
• Maintain appropriate inventories of supplies and oversee proper operation of equipment in the hospital. Report inventory needs to the hospital manager in a timely manner.
• Provide client education and excellent service to clients, foster care members, volunteers, and the general public as needed. Client care will be handled in a professional manner both in person and on the phone.
• Maintain equipment and facilities in the hospital specifically surgical, anesthesia, radiology, laboratory, and all medical related items.
• Maintain a professional appearance and standard of cleanliness in the facility. This includes all cat/kitten care, organizational maintenance, laundry, and janitorial work in the hospital.
• Work closely and cooperatively with each and every other shelter staff member.
• Maintain relations with outside vendors, other veterinary facilities, labs, veterinary schools, etc.
• Uphold the policies and procedures of CAT, utilizing this foundation from which to solve daily issues and problems in order to achieve organizational goals.
• Other duties as necessary or assigned
If you are looking for a place to utilize your talents and skills to help cats and to help our community as a whole, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) a cover letter and resume or fax to (503) 925-8888 Attn: Medical Director
Please note: resumes without a cover letter will not be reviewed, so please use this opportunity to tell us about yourself and why you would be a good fit with our hard-working and dedicated team of professionals.
No phone calls please.
The Foster Assistant will work with our Foster Coordinator to ensure that 1,000 kittens and their moms go through our foster program successfully. The ideal candidate will be good with people as well as cats and kittens.
Duties & Responsibilities:
• Assist with intake (including blood draws) and check out of foster kittens and their moms
• Coordination of all supplies for the foster families including stocking and cleaning of baby bags and mentor bags
• Liaison between hospital and foster parents as needed
• Quick clean cages in Kitten Head Quarters. Keep Kitten HQ clutter free
• Husbandry calls and triage support during shelter hours
• Schedule surgeries for all foster kittens and their moms and work with Hospital Doctor if more surgery days are needed
• Schedule and coordinate foster trainings as back up support
• Administrative Support
• Other duties as necessary or assigned
Experience:
• 2-3 years on-the-job Veterinary Assistant experience preferred
• Prior shelter or animal control experience preferred
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to problem solve and multi-task
• Customer service experience desired
• Previous experience working within a volunteer organization
Skills:
• Cheerlead and encourage the foster network and staff
• Managing multiple tasks, etc
• Computer knowledge (Microsoft office, Impromed, Shelter Buddy, etc)
• Ability to work cooperatively in a team environment
• An extensive knowledge of queens and kittens
• Organizational skills a must
Key Competencies:
• Compassionate care for cats and other animals
• Manage multiple tasks effectively and efficiently
• Leadership: the ability to motivate others, coach and mentor, inspire quality performance, problem solve
• Integrity
• Customer service to clients, staff and volunteers and community contacts
• Teamwork
• Drive for results
Education:
• Veterinary Assistant training/education
• High school education or equivalent
• On the job training
Compensation: $9 per hour
This is a part time, seasonal position. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), fax (503-853-7989), or mail/deliver your resume and cover letter in a Word document or PDF document only.
No phone calls please.
Please consider volunteering your time and skills to help homeless cats.
CAT’s street and mailing address is:
14175 SW Galbreath Drive
Sherwood, OR 97140
Phone: (503) 925-8903 (operator answers during shelter hours)
CAT’s Sherwood Shelter hours are:
Monday - Friday: 11 am until 7 pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10 am until 6 pm
Please note that adoptions end 30 minutes prior to closing.
CAT closes at 3 pm on December 24 and December 31.
CAT’s Sherwood shelter is closed only on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Directions to CAT:
Be sure to check for a CAT offsite adoption location near you.
View Cat Adoption Team Shelter in a larger map
Because of your support
In 2007:
Adoption Program
Volunteer Program
Feline Foster Care Program
Full Service Veterinary Hospital
In May 1998, Evan Kalik opened a safe haven for abandoned, sick, and injured cats and kittens. He called it the Cat Adoption Team (CAT).
In 1999, CAT began its very successful, life-saving cat foster program. CAT provides all foster volunteers with “baby” bags fully stocked to give litters of kittens a healthy start to a long life.
In 2002, CAT became the first animal shelter in Oregon to install a full-service veterinary hospital, opening the CAT Hospital onsite.
In 2004, CAT’s Mature Companions Program began to encourage seniors to adopt cats for companionship.
In 2005, CAT saved 41 cats from the Hurricane Katrina affected area in 2005.
By 2008, CAT experienced 1,328 percent adoption growth, finding homes for 16,220 cats in that time span.
In 2008, CAT opened the first Cat Food Bank to provide cat food directly to cat owners in financial need and began offering subsidized spay/neuter services through Feline Fix-a-Thons.
In 2008, CAT found homes for five feline refugees from war-torn Beirut.
In 2008, CAT opened the doors on the very first organized pet food bank in the Portland area.
In 2008, CAT launched the Meet Your Match adoption program.
In 2009, a rare male tortoiseshell cat came to the shelter for adoption.
In 2009, cats from the shelter picked the winner of the Super Bowl and were correct (picking the Steelers).
In 2009, CAT opened its very first discount microchip clinic for dogs and cats to celebrate National Tag Day.
In 2009, the first CATnip Friday 5k & Mouse Miler took place.
In 2009, CAT dedicated the Sherwood shelter building to its founder, Evan Kalik.
In 2009, the Cat Food Bank joined with the Beaverton Meals on Wheels program to deliver cat food to home-bound seniors.
In 2010, cats from the shelter picked the winner of the Super Bowl and were correct again (picking the Saints)!
In 2010, the Cat Food Bank started delivering cat food to the Forest Grove Meals on Wheels program.
In 2011, cats from the shelter again picked the correct winner of the Super Bowl (Green Bay Packers).
In 2011, CAT’s 25,000th adoption.
We continue to grow and innovate as we pursue our mission.
Management Team
NOTE: email for staff are first name, last initial @catadoptionteam.org
Executive Director: Aaron Asmus (ext. 224)
Medical Director/Chief of Staff: Dr. Melinda Barkley, DVM
Operations Manager: Kristi Brooks (ext. 227)
Shelter Manager: Rhonda Weiss (ext. 234)
Development Manager: Sharon Sipprell (ext. 257)
Volunteer Manager: Nancy Puro (ext. 258)
Volunteer Coordinator: Morgan Willhite (ext. 226)
PR Manager: Kathy Covey (ext. 228)
Foster Coordinator: Dawn Rossiter (ext. 231)
Finance Manager: (ext. 259)
Thrift Store Manager: Bobbie Winchell (503-208-3635)
Board of Directors
Robin Russell, President
Wade Parkin, Treasurer
Rob Barker
Britta Bavaresco
Karen Green
Dr. David Mann, DVM
Dr. Kris Otteman, DVM
Shari Scales, CFRE
To work with our community to save the lives of homeless, unwanted, sick, and injured cats and kittens by offering shelter, adoption, foster, hospice, and veterinary services to end needless feline euthanasia.
CAT helps cats land on their feet in so many ways.
The Cat Adoption Team (CAT) is the Pacific Northwest’s largest nonprofit, limited admission/adoption guarantee cat shelter (we are able to take in cats as we find homes for the cats in the shelter). CAT has its own full-service veterinary Hospital onsite.
A leader in the shelter community with its extensive shelter medicine, adoption, and foster care programs, CAT cares for 400 to 600 cats and kittens on a daily basis with the help of a dedicated team of staff and volunteers at CAT’s shelter in Sherwood, foster homes, and various offsite adoption locations throughout the Portland metro area.
As a nonprofit organization, CAT receives no government funding and relies on the generous support of the public and volunteers.
When you visit CAT’s Sherwood shelter you will find:
14175 SW Galbreath Drive.Sherwood, OR 97140.(503) 925-8903..(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
