The Concept
For those of your unfamiliar with Happy Tails and our sanctuary dream, our philosophy is to create a cageless shelter where cats can live in an open and engaging atmosphere. Our space permits them to mingle with one another, but provides private perches and cubbies that enable them "get away from it all" when they need some personal time. We don't keep our furry family members in cages at home so why should animals be caged in a shelter or adoption center? Our open adoption center allows potential adopters to interact with the cats on the cats' own turf, rather than having to poke their hands and heads into a cage. This approach helps animals who may be "cage shy" or frightened by a cold steel cage feel more comfortable. Granted, there are cats who just don't like other cats. For these individuals we provide cat condos, but they are still able to watch the other cats interact together. Some of these "unfriendly" cats learn a thing or two about being social with their own kind and soon want to be out with the gang!

We finished the Center with the help of a team of dedicated volunteers, skilled craftsman, trained artists, and a lot of hard work. When the Adoption Center was finished, it was given the seal of approval by several Happy Tails foster cats that had a blast playing, climbing and exploring!

We owe all of our generous, skilled contractors, artists, volunteers and all a huge thank you for making this all come together. Read about the shelter's beginnings if you would like to see how the space came together.

As for our visitors...come on down! We welcome visitors as well as potential adopters...Hey, some of the former become the latter once they visit. In any case, visitors help our cats adjust to being around people which helps them become more adoptable and adaptable once they have a new home.

The Details
The cat enclosure is an open, 16-foot by 20-foot screened enclosure where the cats live freely on several levels. The beautiful mural (by artist Jenny Evans) is often confusing to people who see it for the first time as the painted cats in the mural appear to be so real. All of the painted cats are either current or past Happy Tails cats who are waiting for their homes or have already been adopted.

The colorful beds at the Center are used for naps and for cuddling. The cats love the soft pillows and the chance to get up off the floor. We have two separate large condos inside for the "newbies" until they get acquainted, if necessary, but usually the condos are left open. Some of the shyer cats like to spend time in the condos when we have a lot of visitors, but they venture out later to play and climb the cat trees. Cats can also sit and sleep atop the condos. The tops are covered with mats that provide a great place to scratch as well as rest. Overhead, cat walks allow the cats to traverse the site in a triangular structure extending between the condos and from each condo to meet at the spiral staircase for easy access.

Panoramic View
Mike Posehn of Granite Bay Software paid a visit to our Center not too long ago, and with his permission, we can share with you what he saw. Mike specializes in panoramic photography to create virtual reality views. The cats may have changed since his visit, but the feeling is the same...warmth and freedom. Use your "arrow" buttons to move the panoramic view, frame-by-frame, to the right, left, up, or down, or depress your left mouse-button over the photo and smoothly move wherever you like in the photo. If you do not see an image below, you can download a free copy of the Quicktime Player by clicking HERE.