CAIT (Companion Animal Initiative of TN)

08/19/2024

This Pet Memorial Celebration offers time to reflect on and honor our beloved animals, build community and fellowship, create art, and learn more about additional offerings from Veterinary Social Work Services and other UTCVM outreach programs. 🐾

tiny.utk.edu/PetMemorialDay

05/28/2024

Glad we could install 13 portals to help this shelter! 😺

05/14/2024

😻 Kittens, kittens, kittens!! 😻

These adorable kittens are being spayed/neutered today, thanks to our UTCVM Shelter Medicine Team!
Are you looking to add a new furry family member? If so, please contact Grainger County Humane Society (865) 567-0050.

04/12/2024

HASS Launches First Ever Shelter Budget Calculator to Combat Underfunding.

HASS, an international project revolutionizing the animal welfare industry by uniting human and animal welfare, announced today the launch of the HASS Budget Calculator. An initiative supported by PetSmart Charities®, the free-to-use tool is a new way for animal welfare organizations to more accura...

03/01/2024

Sweet, spayed, & ready to snuggle!

For adoption info, please contact
 🐾

03/01/2024

Did you know that we have a Pet Loss Support Group here at UTCVM? If you have experienced loss of a pet family member, this support group will provide a caring environment where people can share their experiences of loss and grief with others who are having similar experiences. The next group meeting is set for March 13th. Center for Veterinary Social Work

Our Pet Loss Support Group is held via telehealth. We will think about resuming in-person meetings when and if the signups for those in and around the Knoxv ...

02/29/2024

🩷 Meet sweet Allie! 🩷
She is super cuddly and would LOVE to be laying in someone's lap. Allie has adorable brindle coloring and is about 3 years old and 20 lbs. To adopt Allie, please contact Companion Animal Rescue & Education -CARE 🐾

02/14/2024

❤️ 🩷 ❤️ 🩷

12/19/2023

Say hello to Cocoa! 👋 She is the *bestest* girl. Check out her wonderful bio below, written by her foster mom (who happens to be a UT Shelter Medicine veterinary technician.) 🧡

Cocoa would love to find her fur-ever family soon. If you are interested meeting her, please contact Campbell County TN Animal Center. 🐾

12/07/2023

Meet Cotton 🐈‍⬛ and Oakie 🐕! These sweet gals are at Monroe County Friends of Animals and would love to find their fur-ever homes before the holidays. ❄️

🩶 Cotton is the softest, calmest, and most velvety kitty you’ll ever meet. She’s about 5 months old and is waiting for a family to love her.

💛 Oakie is the most adorable and loving little lady looking for a good family to call her own. She’s approximately 4 years old. She grins and will give her human lots of kisses. She just started heartworm treatment, but you may talk to the shelter about her availability.

Interested in meeting or adopting Cotton or Oakie? Please contact Monroe County Friends of Animals. 🐾

12/06/2023

It’s another chilly day out there, so we thought we’d share another trio of adoptable lap warmers! 🥰

Check out these cuties from Grainger County Humane Society:

🩵 Merlin looks hesitant in this pic, but he’s got a fantastic little personality! He LOVES being petted, but he’s curious and adventurous, too. We picture him accompanying his new owner on errands on a leash, but we can’t promise that’s in his plans. 😉

💜 Quincy is a super sweet middle-aged gentleman, approximately 5 years old. He’s a Boston Terrier-ish looking lad in need of a loving family to make him feel at home.

💚 Dollar is a fuzzy little 12-week old lady who is so calm! She looks a little angry in her picture, but she was really relaxed in the student’s arms.

For adoption information, please contact Grainger County Humane Society. 🐾

12/05/2023

Brrrr! 🥶 Looking for a *paws-itively* adorable companion or a *purrr-fect* snuggle buddy to keep you warm?

Meet these adoptable cuties from Unicoi County Animal Shelter! ⬇️

💚 Tofu is an adorable little 2-year old guy who needs a sweet family to help him build confidence.

❤️ Cinnamon is a quiet, sweet 2-year old lady who loves being petted. She’s looking for a fabulous family to love on her.

🤍 Ice Cream Sandwich is an adorable 12-week old lively little kitty looking for a fun family who will let him play!

For adoption information, please contact Unicoi County Animal Shelter. 🐾

12/01/2023

Please be aware that this mysterious respiratory disease is spreading among dogs across the country.

At least 17 states are seeing a mysterious illness infecting dogs.

11/08/2023

Today is the ! 🍊🐾🧡

Our generous donors make it possible for our team to provide 2,200 spay/neuter surgeries to shelter pets and feral cats every year. Every gift to CAIT, whether it is $5 or $50, provides lifesaving help to homeless animals in East Tennessee.

To donate, please click here: tiny.utk.edu/CAITBOG2023

We are grateful for your support!

11/07/2023

Join us tomorrow for the BIG ORANGE GIVE!

11/07/2023

What a beautiful day for the groundbreaking ceremony for Sevier Animal Care Center’s new state-of-the-art municipal shelter!☀️

The real stars of the show were adoptable cuties Rosie, Posey, Toomre, and Isabella.✨

Interested in fostering or adopting these lovebugs? Please visit www.sevieranimalcarecenter.com.🐾

10/17/2023

Our 66th Feral Fixin' was a PURR-fect success! 😻 We saw 134 cats and provided them with spay/neuter surgery, vaccines, and lots of TLC.

Thank you to the students, staff, faculty, and community members who gave up their Caturday to volunteer, and thank you to our generous donors who make this event possible!

10/16/2023

Happy Veterinary Technicians Week!🧡

We are lucky to have Jess and Kayla on our team. Every single day, they provide compassionate care to shelter animals, teach our veterinary students important clinical skills, and ensure that the pre-op and post-op surgery process runs smoothly and efficiently. Thank you for all you do!🐾

10/16/2023

Who doesn’t love a low rider with adorable ears? 😍 Let’s help Meatball find a home. 🍝 Please share!

Meatball is a very sweet older boy looking for a home! Who can resist those short legs and that white face? 🫶 Such a good boy!! Stop in to meet him today!

10/13/2023

You *have* to scroll through the pics and see Klover’s teef! 🦷 He is the cutest boy AND he’s dog and kid friendly. 🥳 Interested in meeting Klover? Please contact Washington County, TN Animal Shelter. 🐾

10/12/2023

Where are our Temptations fans🎤and our Kansas City fans🏈? Unicoi County Animal Shelter has two cuties that would love to wiggle their way into your heart.🧡 Please share!

Meet Patrick Mahomes and My Girl!!! Patrick is a 5 month old golden retriever mix. My girl is an 8 month old wire haired terrier mix. Both are dog and kid friendly. They love playing with each other out in the yard. We are working on crate training them. Both have been spayed or neutered, utd on vaccines, dewormed, and microchipped for adoption.

If you are interested in one of these babies, you can apply online at

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wg03k32XnZO2fsTBO9arYR9WHJpLUHGcYoiau5_DHWU/edit

10/12/2023

STOP!🛑 Hi, you! (Yes, you!) Could you take a scroll break for five seconds so we can stare into your beautiful eyes?😍

Oh my goodness, you stopped scrolling! Thank you!🥹 Would it be okay if we introduced ourselves? It's hard to type with our little paws, but we are determined to find our forever homes!

I'm Dasher on the left.🤎 They say I'm about 5 years old. I'm deaf and I have a permanent head tilt which throws me off kilter. I can’t do steps smoothly, but otherwise I get around remarkably well and act like nothing is wrong! I will need to be with a family who has the patience to work with a deaf dog. I've been in the shelter for nearly a year (😭) but I'm still a really great guy. Could you consider giving me a chance?

I'm Skipper on the right.🖤 I'm about 10-12 months, super sweet, and seeking an active family who can give me some good energy outlets. Do you like walks or hikes or throwing ball? A canine companion makes everything more fun!🥎

Interested in letting us steal your heart?🧡 Please contact Cumberland County Animal Shelter - Crossville, TN. We look forward to meeting you very, very soon.

P.S. PLEASE SHARE OUR MESSAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!📣

10/11/2023

Update: Ohana has been adopted! 🎉

Meet Ohana! 🌸 This beautiful gal’s name means “family” in Hawaiian, and she would love nothing more than to find a family of her own.

Despite only being around a year old, she is an old soul and seems to be a couch potato. If you need a Halloween movie marathon buddy, Ohana is your girl! 🎃 She is about 45 pounds.

Ohana is currently at Companion Animal Rescue & Education -CARE (Jefferson City, TN). Interested in adopting her? Apply online here:
https://www.shelterluv.com/matchme/adopt/CAJC/Dog

She says she can’t wait to meet you! 🩶

10/10/2023

Update: Wylie has been adopted! 🥳

We have a very special adoption bio to share with you today, written by our own Dr. Becky. She fostered this regal fella over the weekend and would love for him to find his forever home.🧡

"Wylie is a 10-12 month old Husky-ish mix with amazing eyes and fantastic ears! After 4 months at the shelter, he got a weekend away. There were so many new experiences for him! None of us know how he hasn’t been adopted yet, and he would love some more time in a home! Does your family have room for a foster or adoption?

In our short time together, he only had one accident, successfully spent 30 minutes alone in the house, didn’t get into things, didn't get on furniture, and did great on walks and hikes. I fault human timing for the accident in the house. When we were gone, he paced for a couple minutes then just curled up by the front door. He was a great hiker – did well on the leash, explored, but also kept moving.

At the shelter, Wylie is great with other dogs in play groups. There is a fair chance he’d benefit from a confident canine buddy at home who could show him the ropes. He showed more relaxed behavior when the humans got onto the floor with him and especially when they were in play bow; that seems to be the language he knows best. He wasn’t rough with toys or playing tug of war so he’d probably make a sweet canine companion for your dog. As far as cats go, he was terrified of a hissing cat in the shelter lobby and didn’t show strong prey drive with toys, so there’s a good chance your cat would be safe (he may just be scared of it…).

Wylie is suuuper sweet and gentle and seeks a family that’s going to be patient and understanding with him as he eases into a home life. He’s pretty nervous about some things in the house, but with the help of his food motivation (read: he’s trainable!), Wylie showed improvement in less than 48 hours. He wouldn’t come up the wooden steps without risers at first, but with gentle, positive reinforcement he tackled his fear already! Smooth/slick floors are quite scary, he's working on that, but he appreciates throw rugs to help him out for now. For car rides, he does fabulously if there’s a squishy dog bed in the back, but he was pretty scared with just a hard surface.

Our schedules won’t allow us to keep him longer, but we happily would if we could. He needs more time out of the shelter to see the ways of the world and gain some confidence - he's improving in less than 48 hours and he is so sweet! Please contact Morristown Hamblen Humane Society if you are able to foster or adopt this great pooch!"