These are a few of our favorite charities......

December 22, 2011

Need some ideas for last-minute holiday gifts or year-end donations? When you open your charitable heart, don't forget the animals in need. We are fortunate to have a great cat-loving community here in Seattle with several non-profit organizations that focus on cats. We've had good experiences with the following organizations and are confident they use their funds appropriately. We've also included a few that work with dogs.

Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project - Located in Lynnwood, this amazing organization provides spay and neuter services for free-roaming cats from throughout the region at no cost. Their mission is to save the lives of homeless cats by providing access to high-volume spay/neuter surgery in a safe and humane environment, collaborating with others, and mentoring like-minded organizations to increase spay/neuter in their regions. This past year they performed over 1000 operations, which significantly reduced the feral cat population in the area.

Purrfect Pals - This well-established organization places more than 2,500 cats every year through their shelter in Arlington, WA, and more than 20 off-site locations across Puget Sound. What also makes them stand out is the innovative cat adoption facility they opened 6 years ago, called FIV-Land for cats who are FIV positive. Currently, they find homes for about twice as many FIV cats as any other shelter in the world.

Whisker City - Based right here in Shoreline, this small shelter has placed over 1400 cats in the area. They run local adoption events and are known for placing the hard to adopt. They are part of Blue Sky Charities, a non-profit 501-c-3 organization that focuses on helping both homeless people and homeless cats. Sadly, their adoption bus, Whiskers on Wheels, was parked indefinitely this past year due to a lack of funding. Your donation could help get it back out there!

MEOW - Established in the early 1990s, this no-kill shelter for cats, is located in Kirkland. Their goal is to promote life-long relationships with people and cats by providing shelter and care until they can find "forever homes" for homeless cats. While they focus primarily on cats, they also have a canine division.

Saint Francis Fund - The list would not be complete without mentioning our very own fund that provides abandoned cats with desperately needed medical care and hospitalization. Our doctors donate their time while supplies and medications are provided at a very minimal cost by the hospital. For nearly a decade, we have been able to help numerous cats due to generous donations from clients (not tax-deductible).

The Doney Memorial Clinic - This clinic was started by Dr. Charles Doney, a Seattle veterinarian, to serve the pets of homeless and low-income people in Seattle. It operates on the second and fourth Saturday of the month in the Union Gospel Mission in Pioneer Square. Many local veterinary clinics donate medications to them regularly, including Cats Exclusive.

Seattle Humane - This large, well-established animal welfare organization has been around a long time and does so much. Founded in 1897, it's a private, nonprofit organization offering a variety of programs including adoptions, veterinary services, dog training classes, a pet food bank, and humane education for children. Through their advocacy and outreach, they strive to ensure that animal companionship is accessible to all.