Cal Poly Cat Program (November 2019)

We are the Cal Poly Cat Program (CPCP)! We are an on campus cat shelter aimed at helping cats and benefiting student learning.  We work hard everyday to maintain the health and well being of all our animals. Donating to our program will help dozens of cats get the medical care they need. Reaching our goal will help us vaccinate, treat, and feed every cat in the shelter for the rest of the year. We would have extra funds for emergencies and future chronic illnesses. When more funds are available we can help more cats! Having the resources to maintain the health of our feline friends is mutually beneficial for our student volunteers. Many animal science students get hands on medical experience when working with the CPCP cats. This often helps them when applying to graduate programs like veterinary school. Students of all majors receive warm compassion from the kitties when they miss their pets at home. We all know how stressful college can be and maintaining CPCP is one way to lighten that load. Here are some wonderful examples of cats that have touched our hearts from the words of volunteer, Dana Humphreys:

“...recently a woman tragically found herself homeless and was seeking an organization to take her 7 cats!  Not missing a heartbeat CPCP stepped up and took on the challenge, cats ranging from 1 year to 18 years old began to trickle into the shelter.  One cat in particular needed extensive medical treatments (eye surgery & 9 extractions); the procedures put a dent in the medical budget, but seeing how beautifully he has recovered, there is no question it was the right decision. Another heartwarming tale involved two adorable cats found as strays in North County and SLO who recently came into our shelter.  They were well-mannered, not feral, but their microchip registrations were not current so no clues as to where they came from. Realizing their owners would be missing them, the CPCP student staffers jumped into action, through social media sites the word was spreading across the county “Is this your kitty?” It took a village but both cats are now reunited with their owners!!”

Since the program’s inception in 1992, over 3,000 cats have been adopted out. CPCP started as a senior project and it continues to impact students everyday. There are many ways students, families, and community members can help. Donations, volunteering, fostering, and adoptions are just some of the fastest ways to get involved. We will be hosting an open house on November 16th so you can come and meet the felines themselves - stay tuned for more info! We encourage you to share our campaign and story to allow us to keep helping the cats of Cal Poly and the greater San Luis Obispo area. Please visit our program website at catprogram.calpoly.edu and our Facebook and Instagram under Cal Poly Cat Program.