The Year of the Cat

About the Program

Category: Volunteers (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

Loudoun County Animal Services had previously struggled with finding live (adoptive) placement for cats and kittens, leading to the development of a group of programs dedicated to life-saving, collectively referred to as “The Year of the Cat.” The programs included comprehensive vaccination protocols, community engagement through volunteer-driven foster care, affordable herd health-oriented treatment for contagious disease, progressive adoption programs and training of a volunteer corps known as “Kitty Candy Stripers” to provide compassionate, hands-on care to sick kittens being housed at the shelter. Launched in October of 2015, the percentage of cats leaving Loudoun County Animal Services alive went from 57% to 83%. Additionally, the increased traffic generated from public awareness of these programs and community engagement led the Department to see an overall doubling in volunteer hours, and euthanasia of all species dropped by 61%.