Homeless cats in Nashville have a little something extra to purr about. The American Animal Hospital Association raised $3,514 for Nashville-based Nashville Cat Rescue (NCR) during AAHA’s 2017 annual veterinary conference.

AAHA has a strong history of giving back to local communities; each year, AAHA supports a different charity local to the AAHA Yearly Conference location. Nashville Cat Rescue (NCR) is a non-profit organization that rescues cats and kittens from shelters and the streets to place them into permanent homes.

AAHA collected donations for NCR throughout the Nashville conference, matching what was raised by attendees. AAHA teamed up with NCR to offer the first-ever AAHA Cat Lounge for attendees in Nashville—inspired by modern day “cat cafes,” the Lounge offered attendees an opportunity to recharge their batteries while interacting with adoptable cats and kittens from NCR during the conference.

“As a veterinary organization, we are passionate about supporting programs that strengthen the human-animal bond,” said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP C/F (emeritus), chief executive officer of AAHA. “We are proud to have been able to support Nashville Cat Rescue and the important work they do to strengthen this bond.”

Since 2005, NCR has placed more than 7,000 cats, and in 2016, they placed 1,056 cats in permanent homes. All adoptable cats and kittens are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, combo tested, and given flea treatment. NCR does not have a facility, but is instead run through a network of foster homes.

“Nashville Cat Rescue is grateful to American Animal Hospital Association for inviting us to AAHA Nashville and raising and matching donations on our behalf,” said Kelly Patton, NCR’s volunteer coordinator. “The money raised will allow us to rescue 30 cats and kittens, which includes sterilization, FIV/FeLV blood tests, vaccinations, and deworming before adoption. With kitten season approaching, the timing couldn’t be better.”

NCR had a total of eight volunteers participate in the AAHA Cat Lounge. Four felines, including two kittens rescued from a 68-cat hoarding case, were adopted from the Lounge.

“We were all very impressed with the Lounge—such a great concept,” Patton said. “It was a wonderful opportunity for socialization for our adoptable kitties, too, who enjoyed the attention, and slept very well after AAHA!”

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Photo credit: © iStock/Valeriya