Tails to Tell Animal Rescue Shelter – Queening Condos

The Cause

Our idea is to expand kennel capacity from 4 to 8 comfortable accessible birthing spaces for kittening queens. We aim to procure 4 additional private covered enclosures for approx 12–15 pregnant cats who give birth & raise babies at the Shelter each year. Cats who give birth on the streets, and their litters, are at risk from predators, infection, disease and multiple pregnancies. Each year, Tails to Tell takes in pregnant cats who then give birth and care for their kittens at the Shelter. Depending on capacity and availability, we are sometimes able to move newly delivered queens and their new litter to a foster home. We currently have capacity to serve up to four pregnant or nursing mothers at the Shelter and want to double this capacity.

Tails to Tell is worth the investment in expanding our birthing spaces for rescued feline mothers! Each year, we receive 12–15 pregnant cats who give birth at the Shelter and require accommodation. We give our queens safe, private facilities for birthing and to care for their kittens; presently, with four birthing spaces, we struggle to keep up with demand at peak times of the year. At times, it has worked to kennel two queens together; however, this is not optimal for the queens or the kittens.

We promote responsible pet ownership by ensuring all animals are spayed or neutered, fully vaccinated, tattooed, and micro chipped before they leave our shelter. This grant will enable us to provide expanded high quality kennels and thus provide top level care for pregnant and birthing queens, and thus help us to address a pressing need in our community.

Who Will it Benefit?

Tails to Tell may be a small animal rescue shelter, but have had a huge impact in our community! We aim to expand healthy and safe options for pregnant cats who arrive at our Shelter. The main beneficiaries in the short term are scared, pregnant queens who arrive either as strays, after being abandoned, or because they have been found injured. The secondary beneficiaries are the kittens who are born into a safe, quiet and healthy environment and have a better chance to thrive than they could on the street. Safe and secure kennels for queens can mean better outcomes for their kittens.

Our Shelter helps the community with our spay/neuter program which helps to reduce overall pet population and promote responsible pet ownership. Every queen and litter of kittens is spayed/neutered prior to adoption which helps greatly in reducing and controlling stray feline populations.