Pet Supplies Plus launches first Kitty City
free-roaming cat adoption center
Center aims to find homes for more homeless cats & kittens in Oakland County
The "winds of change" as they pertain to cat adoption have arrived at Pet Supplies Plus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in the form of Kitty City, an enclosed open-air environment where cats are free to be...well....
CATS.
Kitty City at Pet Supplies Plus in Bloomfield Hills is giving homeless cats something to purr about this holiday.
I had the honor and delight of visiting this kitty haven a few days ago and felt myself on the verge of tears the entire time I was there.
Tears of sadness? No, tears of happiness. I witnessed the joy of watching adoptable cats feeling happy, content and safe. I watched them play, groom each other, investigate, sunbathe and simply enjoy each others' company while my heart smiled.
The moment I walked in I "oooohed and ahhhhed" at the surroundings. I plopped myself down on the floor where I was promptly rewarded by a loving ball of fur who claimed me as their new "easy chair" and stayed on my lap the entire time that I was there. Oh these cats are clever, in this environment it is much easier for them to use their feline wiles to win you over with displays of affection such as I witnessed.
Would a scene such as the above be re-enacted if the cat had been in a cage? Never. Being able to interact with a cuddly kitty will greatly increase the likelihood of its being adopted and ultimately that is the objective.
We are all used to seeing adoptable cats looking listlessly back at us from their jail-like confines. No toys, no sunbeams, no play partners, just the four walls of their cages. Think a cat is happy waiting for their forever home in an environment like that? You try living in a cage and see how you would feel.
Kitty City, was created by Bloomfield Hills Pet Supplies Plus store owner Addy Shattuck, who told me she has been involved with finding homes for adoptable cats for the past twenty years. When you visit Kitty City you can tell the warm and homey environment was lovingly created by a cat lover (Addy has seven cats of her own).
I was so smitten with Kitty City and its residents that I could have stayed there for hours, happily petting, cooing to and giggling at the clowder that surrounded me. Addy joked that I looked so comfortable and thrilled with being there that she was going to put a cot in the room just for me so that I could stay there permanently. Sounds like a plan to me!
There are miniature wing-back chairs, kitty condos, varying levels of "cat shelves" or ledges if you will, staggered on the warm brick walls. There is a wicker sleeping area, numerous cat scratchers ( I added two more to their collection when I visited), plenty of cat toys to go around (Cody also kindly donated a number of his lightly-to-never-used toys), ample litter boxes and plenty of bowls of kibble for when the munchies kick in.
Kitty City is housed at the front of the store and is enclosed by glass which stretches from ceiling to floor (that is one heck of a size for "Kitty TV!!"), which enables the kitties to take sunbaths, watch people passing to and fro and of course the occasional tease of "Bird TV". When I was there it was a bright sunshiny day and a number of the cats were lounging in their favorite "sun puddles" as they would be if they were in their adoptive home. Had they been in a cage that luxury would be non-existent.
Addy keeps the safety of the kitties at the forefront by making sure that no one other than her staff may enter Kitty City at random -- you need a key to get in. This helps assure that a curious kitty won't come darting out with the opening and closing of doors.
People who are seeking to adopt a cat can watch their antics through the glass window, or if they are so inclined, Addy will let them in and they can observe, play with and really get a feel for the personality behind their soon-to-be new feline friend.
When I was there a woman stopped by who had recently had a kitty cross over
The Rainbow Bridge. I watched as she observed a number of the cats and how she proceeded to comment on how "this one is playful, this one is more shy, this one is a lover." I marveled at the fact that if the cats were in cages this is something a potential adopter would not be able to discern.
“The open environment lets the cats play and do what cats do while waiting for their real home," says Shattuck. They are so much more relaxed and content instead of being locked up. Customers love just to come in and watch the cats."
Kitty City will officially open with a holiday grand opening celebration, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, December 9, that includes free refreshments, cat food samples and in-store specials, along with 200 cats that will be up for adoption from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, December 9; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat., December 10 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 11.
Adopters get a
free wellness exam for their cat or kitten provided by The Cat Practice of Birmingham, Michigan’s first feline-only veterinary hospital. Adoption fee of $59 includes spay or neuter, vaccines and health check. All cats are from Oakland Pet Adoption Center in Auburn Hills.
While the Bloomfield Hills Pets Supplies Plus has been adopting out homeless cats for years, Kitty City has already made a difference. Since opening just a few months ago, the store has already seen cat adoptions increase as shoppers are drawn to watching the antics of the felines through the window.
“Unfortunately, Oakland County has a huge overpopulation of cats” Shattuck said. “We are hoping that Kitty City will help more people see just how wonderful cats are as pets.”
The Bloomfield Hills Pet Supplies Plus is at 2057 Telegraph Rd. For information, call 248-333-7545 or go to www.petsuppliesplus.com.
