2011 Was a Cat's Best Friend
Slipping into his costume jeweled diamond teardrop necklace, Tiger is starting to feel silly. He knows it’s for a good cause, but he can’t help but be embarrassed by the crew of staff and volunteers touting over him today. Tiger is modeling for a billboard set to be viewed by thousands of Chicago- area commuters off I-190. In the end, the photo looks like it’s taken inside of glamour’s innermost sanctum, but it’s actually taken on a desk in the development office of the Society against a piece of gold-foil wrapping paper. The necklace would appraise just slightly higher than the feather toy he plays with between pictures. This is a non-profit organization—did you really think those diamonds were real?
It’s no secret that the general population has preconceived notions regarding the preferability of dogs to cats in the battle of which animal makes a better companion. Unusual perhaps, considering that the number of cats in U.S. homes outnumber that of dogs by about 5 million animals. Regardless of this discrepancy, taking note of this public misconception, the development and shelter staff here at the Society set out to help promote America’s undercat.
Among the many ideas to help promote cat adoptions were our “Timeless. Elegant. Adoptable.” and “Man’s New Best Friend” advertising campaigns. The Society also started a program throughout last summer and fall in which the adoption fee was waived for the five cats that had been in the shelter the longest. These efforts worked rather well, resulting in a substantial reduction of time spent in the shelter by many adult cats, as well as reminding Chicago-area commuters just how great we—and so many other people—think cats are.
We found a lot of great homes for a lot of great cats this year, and that makes us proud, but our work is far from done. With a new year come thousands more in need of a forever home, and we will be here for each of them.
It’s no secret that the general population has preconceived notions regarding the preferability of dogs to cats in the battle of which animal makes a better companion. Unusual perhaps, considering that the number of cats in U.S. homes outnumber that of dogs by about 5 million animals. Regardless of this discrepancy, taking note of this public misconception, the development and shelter staff here at the Society set out to help promote America’s undercat.
Among the many ideas to help promote cat adoptions were our “Timeless. Elegant. Adoptable.” and “Man’s New Best Friend” advertising campaigns. The Society also started a program throughout last summer and fall in which the adoption fee was waived for the five cats that had been in the shelter the longest. These efforts worked rather well, resulting in a substantial reduction of time spent in the shelter by many adult cats, as well as reminding Chicago-area commuters just how great we—and so many other people—think cats are.
We found a lot of great homes for a lot of great cats this year, and that makes us proud, but our work is far from done. With a new year come thousands more in need of a forever home, and we will be here for each of them.
