What We Do

• We spend time with cats and kittens at SCAC to provide them with play time and personal attention. We comb, trim nails, clean ears, and bathe them as necessary. Upon request from SCAC staff, we aid with hand feeding of small kittens or ill cats/kittens, and we work with “spicy” kittens who need additional handling to become more adoptable.

• We provide toys, bedding, and other supplies to enrich the lives of the SCAC cats and kittens.

• We take photos and videos of cats and kittens, and post on Petfinder, Facebook, and Instagram to help them find their forever homes.

• We aid in communicating with no-kill rescue partners who may be able to accept transfers of SCAC cats and kittens, and we provide transport to out-of-town rescues.

• We help with medical expenses beyond typical needs for cats and kittens during their stay at SCAC. Upon request from SCAC staff, we transport cats and kittens to community veterinarians.

• We subsidize fees to help reduce the cost of adoptions.

• Volunteers assist customers at the shelter who wish to adopt, the primary goal being to match families with cats that are appropriate for their needs.

• We try to place cats that are bonded to each other in the same home by publicizing them and providing additional adoption financial assistance.

• We attend off-site adoption events and cat shows across the state to help cats and kittens find their forever homes.

In 2020, Meow Mobile helped to subsidize adoption fees for 79 cats. Cats and kittens were taken to veterinary clinics 18 times for a variety of medical issues. In response to the pandemic, we provided 3,248 pounds of cat and dog supplies to people in need in the community.

In 2021, we subsidized adoption fees for 51 felines. We supplied local micro-pantries with 1,421.35 pounds of dry food, 343.34 pounds of wet food, and 203.3 pounds of cat litter. We provided outside medical care for 27 cats and kittens, some of them multiple times. When an illness struck the Sangamon County Animal Control cats, Friends of SCAC pledged $1500 to assist in the treatment of 6 cats & kittens on a Friday night. This valuable amount, combined with Meow Mobile funds, allowed us to provide 15 cats and kittens emergency veterinary care in one weekend. During this illness time, Friends & Meow Mobile worked together to successfully “pull” 10 cats and kittens from Animal Control and get the animals healthy and adopted or transferred to other rescue organizations.

2022 brought many changes to SCAC, including a new director who is a true animal advocate; additional staffing including an animal care manager who is a licensed, experienced vet tech; and - for the first time in SCAC history - an emergency medical care fund provided by the county. During the 2022 calendar year, Meow Mobile provided adoption fee subsidies for 72 cats. We supplied 1,999 pounds of dry food, 69 pounds of wet food, and 110 pounds of cat litter to local micro-pantries. Due to the county funding for medical emergencies, Meow Mobile was only required to pay for medical care for one cat. The county’s emergency medical care fund is not currently funded sufficiently to cover twelve months of need for both cats and dogs, and it is not clear how the county will respond when the fund is depleted. Consequently, Meow Mobile is holding all funds that have been donated to our organization specifically for the medical care of SCAC cats, so we will be ready if/when the need for Meow Mobile assistance arises.

During the first quarter of 2023, Meow Mobile’s largest expense was adoption fee subsidies for 70 cats and kittens, at a cost of $4,561. Friends of SCAC provided kitten adoption fee assistance to Meow Mobile in the amount of $925.

Much of our work would not be possible without the financial support provided by your donations throughout the year. The volunteers of Meow Mobile and the adoptable felines of SCAC issue a heartfelt THANK YOU for every dollar donated.