Catster Finds Creative Ways To Spread Awareness About Adoptable Cats

If you live or work in a capacity that involves adoptable animals, you need to take a moment right now and read this post on Catster: 10 Unconventional Ways To Pimp Out Adoptable Cats.

I’ll wait until you’re done.

Back? Great.

I absolutely love the post simply because Dorian came up with many creative and free ideas for how shelters can spread the word about their adoptable cats. Plus in the comments readers shared some of their own best practices.

Photo courtesy Shamey Jo.

Some of the great ideas include making business cards for each cat, providing a comfortable “meet and greet” space where potential adopters can meet with a cat, blogging about the cats, and more.

Basically, the idea is to find creative ways to get the word out about your cats. You want to touch people’s hearts, make a connection between them and a cat, and hopefully seal the deal by sending a cat home with his forever family.

Spending a little extra time “marketing” your cats may result in more adoptions, which of course means that you can help more cats.

That said, these ideas can take some thought, time, and creativity. And if you work in a shelter or other facility, you may be scratching your head, wondering how anyone could find the time to follow through on any of these ideas.

If I were to guess, I’d put my money on the fact that these folks don’t find the time. They make the time – because marketing in memorable ways works.

And sometimes all it takes is a phone call.

A few years ago, a Seattle shelter was at capacity. They had rescued a cerebellar hypoplasia kitten and were afraid she would be overlooked or unwanted because of her condition. So the shelter staff made a call to their local news station.

And what do you think happened? KOMO News came in and did an entire segment on the CH kitten. Within 10 minutes of the segment airing, the shelter said its phones were ringing off the hook. Viewers were touched by the kitten’s story and wanted to give her a home.

I know few of us may actually have an opportunity like that, but that’s not the point. The idea is to get creative with the resources you do have.

Photo courtesy Joplin Tornado Lost and Found Pets.

For example, perhaps you have a local paper in your town. Give them a call and see if you can write a weekly column about an adoptable cat. It doesn’t need to be too long or in-depth, it simply needs to capture a reader’s attention.

Don’t have time to write a cat’s profile? Ask a volunteer to do it. You want to find someone who knows the cat well and can capture that particular cat’s story and personality. The more engaging you can make it, the more it’ll stick and make an impact. You can then post that profile online and in your shelter so potential adopters can read it.

If you have big ideas or goals but don’t have certain resources available, reach out to your community to see if anyone is willing to donate time and materials.

Remember: Making a difference doesn’t need to be a one-person job. Reach out to those around you for assistance. They’ll likely be happy to help with such a good cause. Good luck!

Do you work in a shelter or foster cats? What are some creative ways you’ve come up with to get the word out about your adoptable cats?