Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood Oregon

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.

Cat Adoption Team is

The Cat Adoption Team is the largest feline-only, no-kill, non-profit shelter in the Pacific Northwest. CAT saves over 3,200 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 70 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’s Chief of Staff Veterinarian is board-certified in feline veterinary medicine
  • CAT partners with pet supply stores to open adoption outreach centers throughout the Portland metropolitan area
  • CAT does not euthanize unless a cat’s condition is hopeless and the cat’s quality of life is poor
  • Many cats in CAT’s Sherwood shelter enjoy roaming and playing in one of CAT’s numerous free roam (colony) cat rooms

Mid-Year Report

CAT is weathering 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.

Here are CAT’s shelter statistics as of June 14, 2009

Adoption:

  • 1,336 cats/kittens
  • 3% lower than this time last year
  • 19,916 total adoptions since founding in 1998

Intake:

  • 1,497 cats/kittens from other shelters and the public
  • 7% less than this time last year
  • 44 adult cats are or have been fostered so far
  • 533 kittens are or have been fostered so far
  • 82 moms cats are or have been fostered so far

Spay/Neuter:

  • 1,174 total surgeries
  • 323 low cost/subsidized surgeries for owned cats

Cat Food Bank:

  • 8,421 pounds of cat food distributed
  • 12,165.75 total distributed since opening in June 2008
  • 1,194 cats fed since January
  • 374 cat-owning families helped since January

New Donation Programs:

  • 40 new Meow Team Members - monthly automated giving program
  • 25 virtual fundraisers brought in $3,224 through CAT’s new peer-to-peer fundraising program

 

Keep Warm with New CAT Gear

CAT sweatshirt - $40 CAT long-sleeved T - $20

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.

Can CAT help if I can’t afford to spay my cat?

Yes.

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.

From time to time, CAT offers subsidized spay/neuter surgeries to cat owners in financial need. CAT’s Feline Fix-a-Thons will be listed in CAT’s calendar of events.

Also, check out other resources available to pet owners.

What is a microchip and how does it work?

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.

How do I bring an animal to you for adoption?

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. However, we know that this is not always the best solution and we are available to help when you need to find a new home for your animal.

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 no waiting list for future appointment dates. CAT does not take walk-in appointments.

 

Do you require spaying or neutering of adopted cats?

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.

How do I adopt a cat from CAT?

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.

Do you ever get purebred cats?

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.

How long do you keep cats?

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 32 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 185 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 1,431 animals in 2008 alone.

Help! I’ve lost my cat. What do I do?

Remain calm and start looking right away.

Please click here for helpful advice, tips, and resources that will help you find your cat.

I found a lost/stray cat in my neighborhood. What should I do?

There are several ways you can help this kitty:

  1. Please make sure the cat you found is not an owned, free-roaming cat by checking with neighbors.
  2. Post signs around the neighborhood indicating a cat was found and where the cat is, especially if you decide to take the cat to a shelter. (NOTE: your local animal control agency should be the first shelter you contact. CAT is not a stray hold facilty.)
  3. Read CAT’s other tips and advice on how to help this lost cat find his/her owners.

Thank you

How can I volunteer for CAT?

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.

How can I contact someone at CAT?

There are several ways to reach someone at the Cat Adoption Team:

By Phone:  (503) 925-8903

  • CAT’s operators are on hand to answer your questions during regular shelter hours, which are Monday - Friday from 11 am until 7 pm and weekends from 10 am until 6 pm.
  • You can call anytime and use the directory option to reach a specific person or voicemail box directly.

By e-mail:  (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Where do your cats come from?

The Cat Adoption Team seeks out and cultivates partnerships with other shelters and organizations in the Portland-area and Willamette Valley. Through these partnerships, CAT helps them reduce their feline euthasia rates by transferring cats and kittens to CAT’s shelter for adoption.

  • 70 percent of CAT’s cats come from other shelters, rescue organizations, or veterinary clinics. These include:
    • Multnomah County Animal Services Washington County Animal Services: Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter SW Washington Humane Society DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital Willamette Humane Society
  • 30 percent are relinquished by the cat’s owner or brought to CAT as a stray.

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.

How many cats do you place into new homes?

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 2008, 3,250 cats and kittens became family members through CAT’s adoption program; this represents a 1,1,79% INCREASE since our founding. Almost 70% 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 3,300 cats.

I can’t find something on your website. Is there a search feature?

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.

What are CAT’s shelter hours?

The Cat Adoption Team is open:

  • Monday through Friday from 11 am until 7 pm
  • Weekends from 10 am until 6 pm

Please note that we stop processing adoptions 30 minutes prior to closing.

CAT Facts & Statistics

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 2008, 2007, and 2006 shelter statistics in the Asilomar reporting format (all pdfs). 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.

Year-end Statistics

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.

Here are CAT’s 2008 year-end statistics:

Adoptions: 

  • 3,250 cats/kittens
  • 4% higher than 2007’s year-end total
  • 728 of these adoptions were from adoption outreach locations
  • 4.3% higher than last year
  • 52% of adoptions were kittens under 6 month of age

Intake:

  • 3,194 cats/kittens found shelter at CAT
  • 4.6% more than 2007
  • 73% of our felines came from animal control, other animal shelters, and emergency veterinary clinics

Spay/Neuter:

  • 2,919 total spay operations
  • 8.6% higher than 2007
  • 1,328 total neuter procedures
  • 20% higher than 2007
  • 635 spay/neuter surgeries performed for the public through CAT’s Fix-a-Thon or the Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund

Cat Food Bank:

  • Opened June 2008
  • Distributes food once a month
  • 3,744.4 pounds distributed in 7 months
  • Average of 535 pounds a month given out
  • Provides food for an average of 61 cats each month
  • 100% of food and litter distributed donated by the public

Contacting CAT

CAT’s street and mailing address is:
14175 SW Galbreath Drive
Sherwood, OR 97140

Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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 at 5 pm on December 24 and 31.
CAT’s Sherwood shelter is only closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Check out CAT’s Portland-area adoption outreach locations.

Where is the Cat Adoption Team located?

CAT is located in Sherwood, Oregon.

Click here for hours, location, contact information, and directions.

CAT also has several adoption outreach locations across the Portland area.

CAT is the only shelter in the Portland area that

  • is using the Meet Your Match Felinality program to better match feline personalities with their forever home
  • tests all cats and kittens in its care for FIV and FeLV and provides a wellness plan for adopted FIV cats
  • has an isolation room dedicated to treating cats with ringworm
  • has a special free-roam room for FIV positive cats awaiting a home
  • is a participating veterinary clinic for the Oregon Spay/Neuter Foundation, which offers low-cost spay/neuter coupons to pet owners
  • provides stocked “baby” bags to foster volunteers, helping them give kittens a healthy and loving start to a long life
  • offers subsidized spay/neuter operations through CAT’s Fix-a-Thon events
  • distributes cat food directly to cat owners in need

Current Job Openings at the Cat Adoption Team

Please check out our volunteer opportunities. Many shelter and management staff started their careers by volunteering.

CAT Hours and Locations

CAT’s street and mailing address is:

14175 SW Galbreath Drive
Sherwood, OR 97140

Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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 5 pm on December 24 and 31.
CAT’s Sherwood shelter is closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Directions to CAT:

Take the Tualatin-Sherwood exit from I-5. Head west on Tualatin-Sherwood Road. Bear left to stay on Tualatin-Sherwood Road. Go 3.5 miles to Gerda (from I-5, it’s just after the second set of railroad tracks). Turn right on Gerda (the corner with the Stark Street Lawn/John Deere building on the right) - watch for the DMV sign. Make an immediate right onto Galbreath. CAT is the second building on the left (right across from the DMV)

Be sure to check for a CAT adoption outreach location near you.

CAT Annual Statistics

Because of your support

In 2007:

  • 3,129 cats and kittens found new loving homes
  • 2,571 cats and kittens were spayed or neutered in CAT’s full-service Hospital
  • 1,302 kittens were lovingly cared for by foster volunteers
  • 380 active volunteers donated over 105,000 hours of time
  • 2,142 felines transferred to CAT’s care from shelters and veterinary clinics in Portland
  • 1 year supply of cat food was donated to feed cats/kittens at the shelter
  • 698 cats and kittens found homes through CAT’s 9 adoption outreach locations across Portland
  • 10,000 pounds of pet food was distributed to shelters, rescue agencies, and pet owners of Vernonia

Adoption Program

  • CAT’s outreach locations found homes for 698 cats and kittens
  • CAT found homes for 69 older cats and FIV positive cats
  • CAT received 3,106 cats/kittens to care for
  • 33 days was the average stay for a cat (49 days if sick/injured) 
  • Of the felines adopted in 2007, 1,584 were female; 1,281 were male
  • 11% of the cats adopted were black
  • 54% of the felines adopted were six months or younger

Volunteer Program

  • CAT had over 483 volunteers; 380 were extremely active
  • Volunteers contribute 105,000 hours annually, the equivalent of about 51 full-time employees
    •  
  • 65 volunteers working at the outreach locations helped find homes for 698 cats

Feline Foster Care Program

  • 150 families are part of the CAT Foster Program
    •  
  • Foster families cared for 1,463 cats and kittens
  • Foster families receive fully stocked care kits when fostering kittens, reducing CAT’s emergency room expenses by over 50%

Full Service Veterinary Hospital

  • Over 2,200 veterinary doctor hours provided health care for our cats
  • 2,571 cats and kittens were spayed/neutered in the Hospital, an average of 214 each month
  • 414 surgeries were for other organizations and the public

Historical Highlights of CAT

Founder Evan Kalik (by KLamm)

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.

We continue to grow and innovate as we pursue our mission.

CAT’s Staff Directory

Board of Directors

Evan Kalik, Founder and President
Don Spear, Treasurer
Dr. Kris Otteman, DVM
Britta Bavaresco, Secretary
Dr. Marla McGeorge, DVM

Management Team

Executive Director: Aaron Asmus (ext. 224)
Director of Medicine: Dr. Wendi Rekers, DVM, DABVP
Hospital Manager: Ed Pashkin, CVT (ext. 223)
Operations Manager: Kristi Brooks (227)
Shelter Manager: Rhonda Weiss (ext. 234)
Development Manager: Kim Christiansen (ext. 257)
Volunteer Services Manager: Sarah Oberg (ext. 226)
PR Manager: Kathy Covey (ext. 228)
Finance/Accounting: Wayne Brown

 

CAT’s Guiding Mission

CAT’s mission is 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 Adoption Team

Kitten Room CAT's in-shelter hospital (by KLamm) CAT in-shelter Boutique (by KLamm)

The Cat Adoption Team (CAT) is the Pacific Northwest’s largest nonprofit, no-kill cat shelter with 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 outreach 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:

  • CAT Boutique retail store
  • Colorful free-roam rooms
  • Kittens on the main floor
  • Get acquainted rooms
  • Friendly and knowledgeable staff
  • Welcoming volunteers

14175 SW Galbreath Drive.Sherwood, OR 97140.(503) 925-8903.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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