SPCA of Texas Receives $50,000 Grant from PetSmart Charities® to Fund Cat and Kitten Adoptions at PetSmart Stores

Madeline Yeaman Arnold
214-930-1438 (c)
myeaman@spca.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(DALLAS, TX; McKINNEY, TX; WAXAHACHIE, TX); January 11, 2021– The SPCA of Texas has received a $50,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to support the organization’s adoptions of cats and kittens at North Texas PetSmart® stores.

The SPCA of Texas has collaborated with PetSmart to adopt out thousands of cats and kittens at 10 local stores in previous years. On average, more than 1,600 cats and kittens were adopted from PetSmart stores through the SPCA of Texas. In 2019, the SPCA of Texas adopted out 1,619 cats and kittens from 10 PetSmart stores. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SPCA of Texas had fewer cats available at the stores so far this year. With this grant, the SPCA of Texas is able to scale back up the number of adoptable cats at PetSmart stores, which will in turn increase the SPCA of Texas’ capacity and ability to rescue more kittens that would otherwise have had lived on the streets or in other shelters.

This grant will fund the necessary care to prepare 500 cats and kittens for adoption at PetSmart stores, including the cost of spay/neuter, vaccinations, medical care, supplies and more. Additionally, the grant will allow the SPCA of Texas to leverage volunteer support and staffing to help increase the amount of adoptions at PetSmart stores. With more cats and kittens adopted from PetSmart stores, the SPCA of Texas will be able to increase the intake of cats and kittens and save more lives.

The SPCA of Texas’ Community Cat program, alongside the Medical and Foster program, will partner in this endeavor to turn kittens born on the streets into highly adoptable kittens with futures in their new homes. With the increased intake, this grant will allow the SPCA of Texas to foster more animals, recruit and train adoption volunteers and quickly move the felines through the system to adoptions and new homes.

“We have been proud partners with PetSmart stores for many years, and have been able to find homes for thousands of cats and kittens through this partnership,” said Karen Froehlich, President/CEO for the SPCA of Texas. “The grant we received from PetSmart Charities is allowing us to continue bringing in cats and kittens off of the streets and placing them into loving homes where they belong.”

“The pandemic has placed increased strain on many animal shelters, and the SPCA of Texas has continued to serve as a vital resource for both homeless felines and the community,” said Heidi Fulcher, associate relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “We’re proud to support this collaborative work, which continues to give North Texas homeless cats and kittens the best chance at finding homes.”

Since the beginning of 2020, the SPCA of Texas has assisted over 1,300 families with needs for their pet, including providing pet food, medical care, pet supplies and other financial support.

Since 1994, through its partnership with nearly 4,000 humane societies, SPCAs and pet rescues across North America, PetSmart Charities has helped more than 9.5 million pets to find loving homes via its in-store adoption program in over 1,650 PetSmart® stores. The leading funder of animal welfare has also donated nearly $430 million to improve access to veterinary care, to positively impact communities, to connect people and pets and to help preserve families through initiatives like this with the SPCA of Texas.

About the SPCA of Texas
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare organization in North Texas. Founded in 1938, the non-profit operates three shelters, three spay/neuter clinics, two mobile spay/neuter and wellness vehicles, one mobile adoptions vehicle and an emergency animal rescue center, all located in Dallas, Collin and Ellis Counties, and maintains a team of animal cruelty investigators who respond to thousands of calls in North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each other’s lives. The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other national humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, visit spca.org.

About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 600,000 shelter pets each year. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores.  In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $430 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 17 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.