Founded in October 2009 in Alexandria, Virginia by a group of experienced cat rescue volunteers, Tails High had an immediate mission – to find a home for a kitten named Gabrielle, a stray kitten whose littermates had been killed by coyotes. And find a home she did! Within a month, there were 30 more cats and kittens needing help, and the number of volunteers grew to form a network of loving families around the Washington D.C. metropolitan area ready to foster. After two years, Tails High has placed 465 cats/kittens in loving homes.

Tails High is guided by two simple philosophies:

1) Cats and kittens need temporary anchor homes where they learn to socialize with other cats, dogs, and humans to prepare them for permanent homes, and

2) Displaced older cats are often traumatized and need constant monitoring to ensure they are eating properly and do not withdraw from their surroundings.

These foster homes serve as a bridge to familiarize rescued and abandoned cats and kittens to the hubbub of everyday home environments, and to reduce or eliminate caution around humans. While being fostered, vaccinations are given, spay/neuter takes place, and minor illnesses and injuries are treated. More critical care is addressed by a network of local veterinary specialists.

Tails High is committed to ensuring their cats have the best possible chance to succeed in their new homes. To achieve this, they have implemented a Foster-to-Adopt program, designed to allow time for potential adopters to foster a cat or kitten in their home with their family (human, felines, canines, etc.) before completing the adoption process. At any time during this period, Tails High is available to answer any questions or address any issues regarding the integration of their new family member. Because of this commitment to finding long-term solutions, on the rare occasions when a particular cat or kitten is unsuited to a new home Tails High is more than happy to reconsider the best match for an adopter and allow them to work with a different cat or kitten. An additional benefit to this approach is that adopters are among Tails High’s best sources of referrals – often recommending friends, family, and neighbors to Tails High.

Tails High values the personal, interactive relationship they have with supporters. They keep in touch with their volunteer community through a regularly updated blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and their monthly newsletter, The Scratching Post. They post updates on Tails High “graduates,” recaps of adoption events, and advice on cat care.

In 2012, Tails High hopes to implement a low-cost spay/neuter program to help prevent the euthanasia of thousands of unwanted cats and kittens in their area each year. They and other rescue organizations receive many requests every day to help find homes for these wonderful animals. There simply are not enough adopters to find new homes for more than a lucky, relatively small number of the cats in need. Low-cost spay/neuter is the only solution to this crisis. Tails High is planning to offer this service for pet owners, feral cat trappers, and other rescue organizations in order to make a real difference.

Tails High’s success with Adopt-A-Shelter is thanks to their many compassionate, cat-loving volunteers who spread the good word of Tails High. They also raised awareness by linking to Adopt A Shelter on the Tails High homepage, as well as their Facebook newsfeed. Please visit their website and join the Tails High parade!

Our sincere thanks to Adopt-A-Shelter® for this opportunity to showcase Tails High, and to the many compassionate volunteers and supporters of our organization who made it happen!