Animal Welfare Professionals

I work at our rescue Cat Cafe and was wondering if anyone else that works at a cat rescue has had any ideas on what guests love, something that has increased adoptions, or a great way to spread the word about adult cat adoptions? We are in the process of remodeling our Cat Cafe and are just looking for a way to make it more welcoming to guests as well increase adoptions for our adult cats. Any ideas are appreciated as we are just looking to improve the guest traffic as well as adoptions.

#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
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Adult cats often have a tougher time because people walk in expecting to meet kittens. I'd lean into what makes adult cats special.

Personality-driven promotions and events around individual cats tend to work better. Give them fun titles, tell their stories, highlight their quirks, and make them memorable.  A friend of mine has a cat named Chalupa. The stories around this cat are highly entertaining just because of the name! People may forget a cat's age, but they remember "the cat that greets everyone at the door" or "the cat that thinks it's the manager."

I'd also make sure you're regularly promoting adoptable cats outside the cafe through social media, special events, and community partnerships. Many adopters know which cat they want to meet before they ever walk through the door.

The fact that you're remodeling is exciting because it gives you an opportunity to create experiences, not just adoptions. The more connected visitors feel to the cats and your mission, the more likely they are to become adopters, fosters, donors, and advocates.

I'd love to hear what others have seen work for adult cats specifically.

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Destiny Crum | Executive Director
Pawdango
Houston, TX

http://www.pawdango.com
https://calendly.com/pawdango
destiny@pawdango.com
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Something that I have found to work well at our shelter is decorating the cat's kennel doors with glass markers or pictures. My favorite thing that we do for our long term cats that are struggling to get adopted is put silly pictures of them up with fake star ratings and reviews: "Larry will crawl on you uninvited and demand cuddles, 3 stars" "Certified protector, 5 stars". These are fun for the staff to come up with silly pictures and fake ratings, and gives some insight into the animal's personality. I usually put up a cute little "staff pick" sign on the longest term cat, and if they have some behavioral challenges like overstim or hissy that may be holding them back from getting into the right home, I like to put a spice rating on them: "Spice Level: MILD. Super loving but not afraid to enforce boundaries". This also sets both the adopter and the cat up for success because it communicates that some cats have boundaries in a way that is silly and fun, making it seem a little less daunting. Since you are at a cat cafe and likely have the cats free roaming, maybe try doing something like this on a free space on a wall or window.

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Laurel Wilton
Feline Welfare Supervisor
Nebraska Humane Society
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Laurel, thanks for sharing these great suggestions!  I volunteer at a cat rescue and am going to ask if I can try this on their shelter's cat room doors where they have their kennel cards. They occasionally post a playful "naughty" and "nice" cats of the week on their social media which are popular, and your star ratings/reviews and spice level sound like an easy and fun way to build on that.

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jennifer Warner
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2026 06:11 AM
From: Laurel Wilton (She/Her)
Subject: Cat Rescue Adoptions

Something that I have found to work well at our shelter is decorating the cat's kennel doors with glass markers or pictures. My favorite thing that we do for our long term cats that are struggling to get adopted is put silly pictures of them up with fake star ratings and reviews: "Larry will crawl on you uninvited and demand cuddles, 3 stars" "Certified protector, 5 stars". These are fun for the staff to come up with silly pictures and fake ratings, and gives some insight into the animal's personality. I usually put up a cute little "staff pick" sign on the longest term cat, and if they have some behavioral challenges like overstim or hissy that may be holding them back from getting into the right home, I like to put a spice rating on them: "Spice Level: MILD. Super loving but not afraid to enforce boundaries". This also sets both the adopter and the cat up for success because it communicates that some cats have boundaries in a way that is silly and fun, making it seem a little less daunting. Since you are at a cat cafe and likely have the cats free roaming, maybe try doing something like this on a free space on a wall or window.

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Laurel Wilton
Feline Welfare Supervisor
Nebraska Humane Society
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