tnr informatique Ep233 - Ann Dunn

Interview! Ann Dunn, Founder of Cat Town, Oakland, CA

"Nobody wanted to be standing in a cafe making coffee, they wanted to be helping the cats. But now, we’re seeing how helpful it has been to forgotten kittens and see how successful it has been."

Ann Dunn founded Cat Town, which is a cat rescue organization focusing on helping the most vulnerable cats in local shelters. Cats that are too scared in that environment have a hard time showing their best selves and soon tend to be overlooked by potential adopters. After realizing this, she wanted to work with these cats that needed the most intervention and save them from being euthanized. She opened the first Cat Cafe in conjunction with Cat Town in 2014 and just opened an adoption center for the hardest to place cats.

She worked for over 20 years in public housing redevelopment in managing, funding and planning. While she didn’t grow up with cats, she did end up adopting 2 cats after college. It was in their memory that she started volunteering at the local animal shelter. She never imagined it would lead her to open her own rescue shelter and she soon became obsessed with helping cats. In this new venture, she saw opportunity to apply her professional skills to address the high euthanasia rate she saw with the higher risk cats who weren’t having luck find homes. In 2011, Oakland had a 42% euthanasia rate, but by focusing on cats most likely to be euthanized, she has helped place around 1,800 cats and reduced the euthanasia rate to 14%!

Ann brought a different perspective to the problem when looking at the variables that were in play at an animal shelter. She saw obstacles that were in place that prevented some cats from feeling safe enough to be confident, which in turn, led them to not be adopted and often times, euthanized. Instead, she wanted to find a way to help by finding a way to place these cats in something other than a cage, where people could get to see them open up more. She originally was thinking this would happen in the form of a quasi sanctuary/adoption center/ cat cafe, so people would be able to spend time with these types of cats in an easier environment for the animals. She wanted to see these troubled cats find a “safe place” where they would transform into confident cats that people would want to adopt.

She now works on the Forgotten Kitten Project, as well. She uses a different approach with kittens that come in who may not be socialized because they are a little older. She brings them in and lets them become desensitized to an active environment, where they are amazingly resilient. It helps boost their confidence and gives them the skills they need to become more adoptable cats. She received a grant from Maddie’s Fund for this, where she documents her findings in order to hopefully inspire other organizations to do the same thing and replicate this approach elsewhere.

Ann also participates in an apprenticeship program through Maddie’s Fun, where she shares innovative ideas with other organizations. Cat Town is a host organization, where they have different organizations come in and shadow them, to see how they are doing things and what they can do to implement their ideas and success in their own organizations.

Find out Ann’s thoughts on the Cat Cafe and what she would do differently if she had to do it again. Would she even open a cat cafe if she was starting all over?

Learn more at www.cattownoakland.org

tnr informatique Ep233 - Ann Dunn
1 Likes	1 Dislikes
4 views views	169 followers
Pets & Animals	Upload TimePublished on 2 Feb 2018

Related keywords

animal welfare act of 1998 tagalog,behavioral science,animal welfare organizations,kitten sound,transavia,barn cats and chickens,non-profit jobs near me,kitten คือ,catch me if you can,cafeteria,transilien,barn cats near me,community cats of owosso,veterinary doctor near me,adoption dog,barn cat rescue,animal rescue quezon city,community cats coalition,pets movie,community cats rescue network,petsmart bd,pet shop dhaka,kitten heels,cafe appliances,behavior chart,kitten ui,adoption near me,cathy doll,kitten editor,animal welfare meaning,animal welfare quotes,nonprofit corporation,behavioral interview questions,non-profit status,cath kidston,barn cat behavior,non-profit jobs nyc,animal welfare act 2013,animal shelter brussels,barn cat names,veterinary colleges in tamilnadu,adoption curve,veterinary courses,animal welfare in cavite,adoption synonym,tnr justice,cat internet,veterinary science,kitten พหูพจน์,community cats of charlotte county,cafe astrology,animal shelter volunteer near me,barn cat program,animal welfare pdf,kitten font,petscop,veterinary doctor,animal welfare act 2006,nonprofits in nyc,pets at home,animal shelter manager,trnd,catriona gray,cafe yumm,petshop boys,petsafe,animal rescue league,trna,cafe racer,animal welfare law philippines,adoption statistics,nonprofit grants,cafe near me,animal rescue center near me,barn cats in winter,barn cat house plans,community cats of hamilton county,community cats prescott az,behavioral finance,pets 2,nonprofit boards,barn cats for sale,adoption agencies,animal rescue philippines hotline,animal welfare law,veterinary meaning,animal rescue site,tnr numeris,barn cat breeds,animal shelter montreal,behaviorism definition,adoption definition,animal rescue davao,barn cat litter box,behaviorism,adoption agencies bay area,adoption cost,behaviorist,nonprofit definition,nonprofit sector,veterinary hospital,cat แปลว่า,behavioral science unit,adoption california,pet shop bd,behavior technician,cat expo,adoption records,behavioral economics,animal shelter in french,veterinary clinic near me,animal rescue near me for cats,non-profit 501c3,behavioral,kittens อ่านว่า,animal rescue las pinas,community cats tnr,non-profit revitalization act of 2013,cafe rio,veterinary rank list 2019,kitten cartoon,kitten font download,cafe con leche,animal rescue bulacan,barn cats wanted,cafe du monde,animal rescue cavite,nonprofit times,kitten explosion ราคา,pets bd,catalog,pets for sale,animal rescue game,animal shelter ottawa,tnr test,pets in dhaka,adoption process,animal rescue ph,community cats of benzie county,catarina e os outros,behavioral health,animal shelter jeux,nonprofit finance fund,cat radio,kittenbot,animal rescue philippines,animal welfare act tagalog,animal shelter breda,animal welfare issues,community cats podcast grant,nonprofit job search,veterinary hospital vepery,catas,veterinary college in chennai,community cats maryland,kitten ภาษาอังกฤษ,cafe zupas,barn cat to house cat,animal shelter vancouver,animal rescue center,animal welfare act of 1998,kitten meow,non-profit organizations near me,tnt,community cats of omaha,adoption symbol,cafe rio menu,petshop,barn cat care,adoption connection,adoption center near me,community cats alive,veterinary counselling date,animal shelter en francais,animal rescue cebu,cafe express,caterpillar,tnr airport,animal shelter volunteer,behavior synonym,veterinary colleges in india,community cats of boca raton,kitten royal canin,adoption events near me,tnr cdg,cafecito,catc,cat on the roof,nonprofit consulting,animal shelter traduction,catwoman,trnava,animal welfare philippines,cat telecom,pets meaning in bengali,kitten hut,animal shelter london,barn cats for free,veterinary medicine,cathay pacific,veterinary counselling,tnr systems,animal welfare act summary,veterinary cut off,behavior analyst,animal welfare act pdf,catch แปลว่า,adoption quotes,animal welfare coalition,community cats inc bedford ny,community cats united,pets price in bangladesh,veterinary application,non-profit or nonprofit,animal shelter rabat,community cats initiative,translate,barn cat food,pets in bangladesh,cafe latte,barn cat buddies,animal shelters near me,animal welfare act,veterinary surgeon,veterinary college in coimbatore,cafe hollander,community cats of palm coast,catdumb,nonprofit new york,barn cats sonoma county,community cats bedford,kitten persian,behavioral questions,cafe bustelo,community cats austin,animal rescue center philippines,animal rescue league of boston,behavioral analysis,non-profit vs not for profit,animal rescue quotes,veterinary hospital near me,trn,tn requin,pets name,animal shelter paris,petco shop,adoption papers,adoption tax credit,animal rescue quotes and poems,non-profit jobs,barn cat training,animal shelter amsterdam,behavioral therapy,kitten coffee,kitten heels คือ,kittens,cafe au lait,behavior modification,petra,petsmart,cafe press,cafe gratitude,tnr projet,animal welfare and rights,animal shelter los angeles,barn cat shelter,tnt suivi,adoption center,tnr ravalement,community cats podcast,cafe rio near me,tnreginet,animal shelter game,behavioral psychology,animal shelter laval,animal welfare society,behavior intervention plan,animal rescues near me,category,