CAT’s Response to COVID-19

The impacts of COVID-19 are affecting each of us. At CAT, we believe in the power of positivity and collaboration when faced with adversity. And we put our love of cats and respect for people into everything we do. 

Nonprofits, businesses, and individuals worldwide are adjusting to protect the most vulnerable, to support each other, and to care for the sick. It seems that every day there’s new information and new guidelines. CAT has been updating our practices and plans regularly as well.

Our goal for CAT during this time is to stay informed, agile, and responsive so that we can continue serving cats and people in whatever ways we can. Everything isn’t going to go perfectly, but the way we get through this is the way we get through every challenge we face: with teamwork, creativity, positivity, communication, flexibility, laughs, cats, and love! 

Updates as of 1/20/2021

• Spay/Neuter Clinic
  • CAT’s low-cost spay/neuter clinic has re-opened and is taking appointment requests. Please visit our Spay/Neuter Clinic page for more information. 
• CAT Thrift Store
  • The CAT Thrift Store is now open for shopping from 11 am to 5 pm daily; donation drop-off is by appointment only. Visit catthriftstore.org for details.
• CAT Retail Shopping
  • The retail area in our main shelter is now for shopping by appointment. You can schedule by calling us at (503) 925-8903 or click here to schedule online. This is for retail shopping only, not visiting cats. All adoptions are still being processed through our online adoption program.

Updates as of 8/26/2020

• Spay/Neuter Clinic
  • CAT is now providing spay/neuter surgeries for clients who had appointments prior to the temporary closure of our public spay/neuter clinic. Our hospital is contacting clients as appointments become available; we are not accepting new spay/neuter appointments at this time.

Updates as of 7/22/2020

• Adoptions
  • Adoption services for shelter and foster cats/kittens continue to be done using an online adoption process with contactless pick-up. The shelter remains closed to the public except by appointment. 
  • Offsite Adoption Centers: Beginning Thursday, July 23, CAT will once again house some cats for adoption at a limited number of offsite adoption locations. Adopters must comply with individual store mandates (such as mask requirements) and may view — but not otherwise visit with — adoptable cats housed at the offsite centers. Just as for cats at the shelter and in foster care, cats housed at offsite adoption centers are available to be adopted through CAT’s online adoption process. Once an adoption is finalized, you’ll make an appointment to pickup your new pet at offsite adoption center where they are being housed. 

Updates as of 6/29/2020

• CAT Thrift Store
  • Beginning July 1, CAT Thrift Store will be open for drop-in shopping, Wednesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donation drop-off will continue by appointment only.Visit catthriftstore.org for more information.

Updates as of 5/21/2020

• CAT Thrift Store
  • Beginning May 26, CAT Thrift Store will re-open for donation drop-off and shopping by appointment only. Visit catthriftstore.org for more information and to make an appointment.

Updates as of 5/4/2020

• CAT Thrift Store
  • Although the CAT Thrift Store remains closed, we are now accepting limited, specific donations for online sales through CAT’s eBay listings. Pre-approved items can be dropped off by appointment only. To have items considered, please complete the donation request form.
• Hospital & Spay/Neuter Clinic
  • Per Executive Order 20-22, CAT’s onsite hospital will resume elective, non-urgent procedures beginning the week of May 4. Our public spay/neuter clinic remains closed at this time. Surgery capacity is limited by social distance and other safety measures, and we expect to increase this capacity over time. (Adopters who have a spay/neuter voucher will be contacted once CAT is ready to begin scheduling.)

UPDATES as of 4/08/2020

UPDATES as of 3/23/2020

• CAT Thrift Store
  • Beginning March 20, the CAT Thrift Store will be temporarily closed until further notice.
  • We have many amazing items in our eBay Store. Keep shopping safely from home!
• Adoptions
  • At the shelter: For staff/visitor safety and to comply with Executive Order 20-12 , CAT is temporarily closed for adoptions while we establish a plan to continue this service safely and responsibly. We hope to be doing adoptions again soon!
  • Foster care: No cats and kittens in foster care are available for adoption until further notice. Animals pre-adopted before March 23 may be sent to their new homes when transport can be done in accordance with social distancing recommendations.
  • Offsite Adoption Locations: We are not housing cats for adoption at offsite adoption centers at this time. 
• Hospital & Spay/Neuter Clinic
  • Our hospital has moved to telemedicine appointments where possible and appropriate. 
  • We have temporarily closed our public spay/neuter clinic and are not performing any non-emergency surgeries, in line with the Oregon Governor’s order and recommendations from the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.
• Incoming Cats / CAT Helpline
  • Though on a more limited basis, CAT is still taking in cats from local shelter partners who need our help to save lives. 
  • Our CAT Helpline exists to support people and pets—especially in times of crisis. We will continue to offer support to help people keep their pets when possible and are scheduling urgent adoption returns and owner-surrenders as space and resources allow.
• Animal Care: Providing quality care and support to cats and kittens in need remains at the core of all we do.
  • Most of our cats and kittens are now in foster care with CAT’s trained foster volunteers. For a small number of cats housed in our shelter, staff will continue to provide medical support, enrichment opportunities, feeding, cleaning/caregiving, and other animal care to keep our felines happy and healthy.
• People Care: CAT’s lifesaving work is only possible because of the dedicated people who put their all into helping cats every day. We’re taking steps to protect our entire CAT family, including staff, volunteers, adopters, and other supporters.
  • We are supporting health and wellness for our team by strongly advising anyone to stay home if sick or in a high risk category. And we’re following state and federal mandates for sick leave and other employee protections.
  • We have implemented work-from-home options for the majority of our staff. We are doing our best to keep staff engaged, active, and employed as much and as long as possible. Regretfully, due to a drastic change in business needs, hours have been reduced for some team members. We are working tirelessly to assist these staff members with applying for unemployment and other protections.
  • For staff and visitors who must come into the shelter for essential work, we are following CDC and WHO recommendations for social distancing and sanitizing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have increased cleaning—especially of frequently touched surfaces—and implemented other safety measures to keep our people healthy and safe.

The CAT family is filled with smart, hard-working, compassionate, supportive, and dedicated people. Our staff, volunteers, and donors have built a strong, healthy, model organization that has made it through some really rough times in the past. We can make it through this. 

Thank you for your concern and support. Stay safe out there!