Aug. 6, 2021 – Cat Adoption Team (CAT) recently provided a low-cost vaccine clinic for the cats of residents at an assisted living center in Forest Grove, Ore. The one-day event—a collaboration between the center and the shelter—was a first for both organizations.
“[Our residents] get great comfort from their cats,” shared Polly Powell, life enrichment manager at Pacific Grove Senior Living. She explained that in order to keep pets in this type of community, residents must have proof that their cats are up-to-date on vaccines. In late July, Powell reached out to CAT to ask whether the shelter might provide vaccines for residents of the center.
“We don’t actually have a program or infrastructure for an offsite vaccine event like this,” said Karen Green, executive director of CAT. “But we wanted to help and were able to figure something out because of some unique circumstances!”
CAT’s full-service onsite veterinary hospital cares for cats in the shelter and provides low-cost spay/neuter services to the community. The organization spays and neuters close to 1,000 owned cats annually, but does not normally offer offsite services or public veterinary care except during spay/neuter appointments. Karen says that a heating and cooling repair project paved the way for CAT to be able to assist in this instance.
“Our HVAC system was in dire need of replacement, but the project meant we had to close most of our shelter and hospital services down for the week,” explained Karen. “We thought this was a great opportunity to use the staff we had available to help our community in a different way.”
CAT’s medical director Dianne Brown, DVM, along with hospital associate Summer Rollins, travelled to the Forest Grove center on Tuesday, August 3. While there, they provided veterinary exams, vaccines, and other preventive care for seven cats, and visited with a resident who had adopted her cat from CAT. These pet owners can rest easy knowing that their pets are vaccinated and in compliance with the facility’s requirements.
“CAT is dedicated to meeting the needs of our community whenever and however we can,” Karen says. “We’re delighted we were able to help these cats and their people right now.”
Since opening in Sherwood, Ore., in 1998, CAT has been supporting cats and people throughout the Portland metro area. The organization offers adoption services, foster and transport programs, a CAT Helpline, low-cost spay/neuter services, and a variety of other programs and services for people and cats. To learn more about CAT’s work and to get involved as a volunteer or donor, visit catadoptionteam.org.
