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| A cat sits atop a cubicle in the shelter’s current playroom. A new jungle-themed playroom, complete with a waterfall, will open by the end of the year. |
Cats waiting to be adopted at the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga, Tenn., will soon be surrounded by a “jungle,” thanks to a $4,000 Meacham Foundation Memorial Grant from the American Humane Association.
A new, cage-free cat room at the shelter is under construction and slated for completion in December 2007. The new room will feature a jungle motif, complete with a waterfall, cubby holes and a bay window. The room will have a capacity for up to 25 cats to roam and play.
The addition will be the shelter’s second cat playroom; the first has proven to be a successful endeavor—allowing cats greater freedom while also increasing adoption rates, according to Guy Bilyeu, the shelter’s executive director. Visitors can watch cats play through glass doors, something the new room also will incorporate.
The American Humane Association awards the Meacham Foundation Memorial Grant each year to animal welfare agencies in an effort to fund projects that contribute to the humane treatment of animals.