Ellington

Mia was old and sweet in her own subtle way, but wasn’t one of those cats that would leap into your arms purring. She remained an orphan for about 10 months while other cats came and went. One day, a young woman who was looking for a low-key, reliable cat came in and fell in love with Mia. The woman left with a new furry friend, and Mia with a new home.

Adoption stories like this are common at PAWS cat adoption centers. Sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting for the right person to come along.

“People might come in and just fall in love; they sometimes see a cat and bond with it instantly,” said Jeannie Ray, Cat City volunteer.

PAWS Cat City moved from the Greenwood neighborhood to 5200 Roosevelt Way Northeast in January. Since it opened in 1997, PAWS has found homes for more than 10,000 felines. The new University District location is about 50 percent larger than the Greenwood space, offering more room for the cats and a larger lobby for visitors.

For someone interested in adoption, the first step is to fill out a cat adopter survey that provides background information on the person’s household, family and preferred type of cat. The staff then tallies the results and decides which cats best fit that lifestyle.

Sometimes it takes longer for a cat and a person to click. Buddy, an older cat, lived in the adoption center for quite a while. He was shy and didn’t attract a lot of attention. One person was interested in Buddy, but was unable to adopt at the time. Almost a year later, the same person came back ready to adopt and asked specifically for Buddy.

Cat City is arranged in a colony setting, which is a type of group housing where cats live together in small rooms rather than individual cages. This type of living arrangement allows cats to create relationships with each other in a larger space, while potential adopters can interact with them in a more natural setting.

The cats are categorized based on personality as either shy, average or aggressive/playful. They are mixed into different rooms depending on how they get along. Calico cats tend to be independent and sassy, which is a personality that some people seek out in a feline friend, while some people want a more easy-going, mellow cat.

Shadow, a large black cat with piercing yellow eyes, is a bully. Ray said that he hisses at and stalks other cats, but is a sweetheart with people. Jazz, a cat that lived in the same colony room, was a victim of Shadow’s stalking.

“When Jazz got adopted, he was probably so relieved to get away from Shadow,” Ray said laughing.

Since Cat City has moved into its U-District location, adoptions have significantly increased and continued to rise each month. Adoptions were up 61 percent last month from the previous four years of March. Steph Renaud, PAWS Cat City supervisor, said she doesn’t know why the adoption rate is so high in the new space.

“It’s hard to say if it’s just because of the neighborhood,” she said. “Adoptions have gone up, which is what we’d hoped, and have been getting better each month. We’ve gotten really good feedback from the people that have come in, so word of mouth might be helping.”

All of the cats come from the main PAWS shelter in Lynwood, which has contracts with nearby cities and counties to house the stray animals in that area. Cats are transferred from the main shelter if space opens up, or if an owner is no longer able to care for the pet.

“[Stray animals are] sort of a problem everywhere,” Renaud said. “Some of that is because of attitudes thinking that it’s inhumane to keep cats indoors — it’s not, it’s safer for them. If a cat gets out, it sometimes runs away, gets lost and becomes a stray.”

Most cats find homes, but there are always the tougher cases. An older cat named Taylor doesn’t get along well with other cats or present himself well in front of potential adopters. Senior cats usually take longer to sell than kittens, but Renaud said it’s just a matter of time before the right person comes along. Older cats are usually marketed toward senior citizens based on similar energy levels.

Each day at Cat City is unpredictable, which keeps things interesting. Ray said that one morning some volunteers and staffers came into the cat adoption center, in its previous location, to find cats roaming the whole space. They thought that someone had left the door open to the cat’s room, which would’ve been uncommon. Once they rounded up the cats and put them back in their rooms, they saw one clever tomcat reach up and turn the handle to open the door.

Renaud said that one night a cat made it all the way over to Jiggles Gentleman’s Club.

“One of Jiggles’ lovely clientele came knocking on our window holding up a cat and was like, ‘Is this your cat?’” she said.

UW senior Emily Hughes has been volunteering at Cat City since it was at the Greenwood location.

“I’ve volunteered with many animal organizations, which is a personal passion of mine,” Hughes said. “It’s nice that Cat City is so close to UW so I can channel my interests within a short walk from campus,” Hughes said.

There are at least six UW student volunteers at Cat City, and the staff is always looking for more.

“We’re really dependent on volunteers. Sometimes we have only one or two full-time staffers here at a time but two or three volunteers. During kitten season, it just gets crazy, so we need the volunteers,” Renaud said.

Kitten season falls between late spring and summer, when new litters are most frequently handed over to the adoption center.

Despite the occasional craziness, Hughes finds solace in the dynamic of the staff members at the adoption center.

“PAWS is really unique in the way that the volunteers are very enthusiastic, which I haven’t experienced at other places I’ve volunteered,” she said. “Everyone is really friendly, so it’s fun socially.”

PAWS Cat City has a Facebook page that allows adopters and staff members to stay updated on the cats that rotate in and out of the adoption center.

“The Facebook page has been a lot of fun because sometimes a person only sees part of the journey,” Renaud said. “It’s fun to see the whole cycle. We love to hear updates and see photos. It’s that much more engaging for everybody to see the different steps of a cat’s life.”

Renaud said that she expects Cat City to see more customers than it has seen all year during kitten season, just right around the corner.

Reach reporter Lauren Becherer at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.