Kitten Drive-thru Adoption Event
Every year animal welfare organizations prepare for kitten season, also known as feline breeding season. It takes place during the warmer months of the year, so in warmer climates like in Los Angeles, this results in a substantially longer kitten season. Kittens are still the most at-risk population in our shelters today and Best Friends Animal Society works every day to make a positive impact on lifesaving efforts through innovative thinking.
It is Best Friends’ top priority to get the pets in our lifesaving centers into loving homes. Due to COVID – 19 the team was forced to move to an appointment only based strategy to ensure the safety of the public, volunteers, and the staff. The team had to think of a creative way to continue to get kittens adopted while adhering to social distancing rules and regulations. They put on their planning hats and got to work to create an easy plan to get kittens into loving homes all while maintaining social distancing.
On September 12 and 13 Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles, hosted a drive thru kitten adoption event for the first time ever. They utilized their staff parking lot at their Mission Hills location, where potential adopters were able to drive up and look at adorable adoptable kittens. After the adopter made their selection, they moved to a reserved parking spot where the adopter received a phone call from a remote adoption specialist to go over all the kitten's paperwork and to make sure that it was just the right fit. The best part was that they were able to use the same in person counseling method that they have always used, just virtually. The team created a one stop shop, including kitten care starter kits for sale onsite, so adopters didn’t have to go to the store after. They could go home with all the supplies they needed right then and there to welcome home their new family member. Once the adoption contract was signed, the kitten was moved to a secure location, transferred to a carrier, and hand delivered to the adopter. All kittens were spayed/neutered, microchipped, and up to date with age appropriate vaccinations prior to the event.
The event was a huge success! 72 kittens were adopted in just two days, 6 hours to be exact. The team's tireless efforts really paid off! Due to the event’s success the Best Friends team is now looking to host this event more often- not only in the Los Angeles area but throughout the country.