New Cat Adoption Housing Opens At Bensalem Shelter

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —Cats staying in America's first animal shelter have some new and improved digs as they await adoption.

Women’s Animal Center recently held a ribbon-cutting dedication of the organization’s new cat adoption housing before donors, board members, and supporters.

The upgrade of the outdated cat adoption housing with new state-of-the-art habitats aligns with current best practices in feline animal welfare and improves the health and well-being of the beautiful shelter cats waiting for adoption into loving forever homes, shelter officials said.

Living in a group setting in a shelter is stressful for animals and Women’s Animal Center strives to reduce that stress through their habitats and socialization so the shelter animals can remain healthy.

Providing nutritious meals, and medical and compassionate care to shelter pets, Women’s Animal Center also strives to provide health-supporting housing.

Women’s Animal Center launched its fundraising efforts in the spring of 2023 and thanks to the generosity of individual donors and foundation funders, raised nearly $50,000 to purchase the new cat habitats by year’s end.

For many years, the organization has been fortunate to receive support for both the animal shelter and veterinary hospital from the Bucks County Foundation including the Foundation’s most recent and generous $10,000 grant to support the upgrade and purchase of the new cat housing.

The Irving and Phyllis Millstein Foundation for Animal Welfare has become a wonderful partner and supporter of the organization’s mission.

The Foundation’s $10,000 matching grant created an incentive for individual giving to support the fundraising efforts for the new housing.

“Women’s Animal Center assists thousands of animals and people in need throughout the county and region each and every year, but receives no federal, state or local funding to do so,” said Cathy Malkemes, the center's chief executive officer. “We rely upon the generosity of our community to support our work, so to have individual donors and funding partners like the Bucks County Foundation and The Irving and Phyllis Millstein Foundation is truly invaluable to us, and to our animals.”

Funding of such projects and programs to support animal health and well-being benefits pets as well as pet owners. The new cat adoption housing will improve the overall well-being of the shelter cats, and benefit pets and people alike as they come face to face in Women’s Animal Center’s Adoption Center and new forever families are created.

Visit Women’s Animal Center’s website at www.womensanimalcenter.org to view photos of adoptable shelter pets and/or to make a lifesaving monetary donation.

About Women’s Animal Center

In addition to Animal Sheltering and Adoptions, Women’s Animal Center provides a variety of vital services, including veterinary care, dog training, animal enrichment programs, community programming, and humane education.

As part of its mission, Women’s Animal Center’s Veterinary Hospital provides affordable high-quality veterinary care to families in need, making pet ownership affordable and thus keeping more animals in their homes and out of shelters.

The hospital is among just 15 percent of veterinary hospitals in North America to be accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association. Proceeds raised through veterinary service fees and individual/corporate/foundation donations support the shelter of surrendered and stray animals under the organization’s care. Women’s Animal Center is located at 3839 Richlieu Rd. and can be reached at 215-750-3100.

For more information: www.womensanimalcenter.org.

(Photos Courtesy of the Women's Animal Center)