its kind in Alabama

FINDING FURREVER HOMES

Kitty Kat Haven is the only cat rescue of its kind in Alabama

By Jeana Durst

There’s a new haven for felines in Hoover. Actually, it’s a new facility for a mission that’s been rescuing cats and kittens since 2016. It all started when co-founder Rita Bowman decided to retire and formalize her 40-year “unofficial” mission of rescuing cats to start the nonprofit Kitty Kat Haven. Along with co-founder Charlie Starr, Bowman first opened a brick and mortar home for cats near Alford Avenue Vet Clinic. But as of April of 2020, they had raised enough money to buy a new 2,400-square-foot home on Columbiana Road. This new facility has lots of space and windows and is completely “cat-i-fied,” Bowman jokes.

With shelves for climbing that line the walls and special bacterial-resistant vinyl plank flooring, it’s a safe and clean time is up at some of the kill shelters,”

playground for the adult cats they are adopting out. “Our facility fosters house cats and kittens that either have been tossed Alabama; sometimes we take in cats whose

out or dumped in various places across Bowman says. The space allows plenty of opportunity for the cats to be socialized in a home environment where they grow accustomed to hearing house noises like the sound of a washing machine. “It also helps with the socialization of the cats to have all these people come in and pet them,” Bowman says. (Right now they are operating with best practices for COVID-19 safety guidelines when it comes to visitors.)

Another thing that makes Kitty Kat Haven unique is that it is a no-cage and no-kill shelter. “This is easier on the cat—less stressful,” Bowman says. As she points out, a cat in a cage is a scared cat. Having a home for adoption visits also means that potential cat owners can see them in their natural habitat. It’s then that the cat often

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

chooses their owner instead of the other way around, Bowman says.

For those interested in adopting kittens, there’s another very important component to the Kitty kat Haven rescue operation —foster homes. “Our foster program has close to 40 different foster homes for kittens,” Bowman says. (Kittens and cats should not be housed together because a kitten’s immune system is not as strong as a cat, so the Haven is for cats only.) As of press time, Kitty Kat Haven had 175 kittens placed in foster homes! As you might imagine, they are always on the lookout for more families who would like to foster kittens. “We get probably close to 20 calls a day, not just from Jefferson and Shelby County,” Bowman remarks. With so many calls, they’ve had to form an intake committee to prioritize the urgency of need.

Their adoption process is purposely picky. On their website you can apply for adoption—and also fostering and volunteering. “We have to do vet checks and review applications. If you are keeping a cat outside, you are not going to be able to adopt from us,” Bowman says. They adopt out after eight weeks, and Kitty Kat Haven takes care of many vet needs prior to adoption.

“The kittens and cats get their shots, de-fleaing, and deworming. Plus, we do a combo test on every cat that makes sure they don’t have FIV, feline leukemia or heartworm,” Bowman says. They also spay and neuter; all of that is included for an adoption free of $125. For cats with health problems, Kitty Kat Haven treats them, so donations help to fund all of these medical needs too.

If you don’t make it to the new Kitty Kat Haven facility, you can also find their cats at Gatos and Beans, a unique cat café in Avondale, or find kittens at their Saturday adoption events at Petco in Hoover. Bowman makes sure that there are lots of chances to adopt. “I love every cat that’s there just like they are my own,” she says.

For more information and to find out how to help, visit kittykathavenrescue.org.