Cat Utopia

04/07/2025

If any of our friends in the Portland area happen to be near Bridgetown Vet, 15333 SW Sequoia Pkwy #100, and wouldn't mind picking up a carrier we left there and dropping it off at Clackamas Petco, we would be very grateful! You can text me at 517-930-7070 and let me know your name so I can call Bridgetown and give them the ok to give it to you. TIA!

04/07/2025

Thank you Petco Love for supporting our lifesaving work! A $10,000 investment will enable us to continue helping pets in need, like recently adopted Soleil, and a litter in our foster home, and a trapped cat waiting to be altered this week, all from our community.

04/05/2025

If anyone is interested in loving this old guy in his last days, please reach out! We have a volunteer that has offered to help with transport, if needed. Leaving this life with a loving home and a soft bed is the greatest gift we can give him. 💔❤️

03/29/2025

Some folks are uncomfortable with the RETURN part of T-N-R (trap neuter return). Here's an explanation of why we do what we do to help others understand.

There are an estimated 50-80 million homeless cats in the United States alone. Kitten season has begun and millions more will be born this spring. 🌷😔

It's heartbreaking. 💔 But, here is the fact:
👉 There are not enough homes for all of the cats and kittens. 👈

Well-intentioned followers will ask, "Why don't you find that cat a home?". Because there is no space available. 😞 There are THOUSANDS of adoptable cats at all of our local shelters who could potentially die without a home. But people want us to keep pulling any and every cat from outdoors to find it a home. Current population numbers make this an impossible task. But there is hope through spay and neuter‼️

We are grateful our shelter accepts ✅ young kittens. They also do wonderful work for ✅ sick and injured community cats. We are blessed they provide space for those who need it most ❤️‍🩹 and we utilize this resource to the fullest! They have the largest foster program in the area, but even they have limits. Space is not unlimited. Fosters are not unlimited. Funds are not unlimited.

If you are an individual who comes across a homeless cat (or even a whole litter) and you are willing and able to take them in (socialize them, if needed), we encourage you and applaud you! We WANT you to do that, as long as you are able to get those kitties fixed. But if you are that person who was fortunate enough to be able to do that and CHOSE to do that, please don't pass judgment on those who are not able to do the same.

To us, a healthy fixed cat who is returning to a caretaker outdoors is not a failure. We are in rural Virginia 🌳, so when we return, it's not exactly "to the streets". We return to *caretakers* with farms, yards with sheds or porches, houses with trees, etc. They have a home in their familiar outdoor space. They have a caretaker to monitor for sickness and injuries and we are always there should those caretakers need us. ❤️

The RETURN part of T-N-R is necessary for combating the overpopulation problem. Right now, they can't all have an indoor home, but if more people understood the importance of spay and neuter, it could definitely be a goal for the future. 🎉

03/17/2025

This was borrowed from PDX Cat Trapper and applies to all of us in Eastern Oregon too!
This is so important! Fixing cats by five months is crucial to fighting the overpopulation crisis that is facing Oregon and all across the US.
Every day we are contacted by folks who cannot believe their 4-5 month kitten is already in heat, or their 6 month kitten is already pregnant. Believe it folks! If your young cat escapes and is acting super friendly, she is likely in heat and looking to breed. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to get them fixed.
Did you get a "free kitten" from social media, someplace on the internet or a friend? Schedule a spay/neuter appointment ASAP - appointments are booked out weeks to months, and we are hearing folks quoted as high as $1000 for a spay. If not, in no time at all your cat will be contributing to the overpopulation crisis.
Everyone needs to take this seriously. Shelters everywhere are euthanizing for space, and as federal/state/local and nonprofit budgets get cut this year, euthanasia is likely to skyrocket along with an increasing number of dumped pets.
Please do your part by getting your animals fixed.

03/09/2025

Wow! All of us at Cat Utopia want to congratulate Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter (PAWS) / Pioneer Humane Society and Thank Petco Love for this amazing award! And thanks to the BEST BOY, Gus, for making life better for Matt & Bill.

03/07/2025

March is National Pet Vaccination Month!
Vaccinations protect our pets from dangerous diseases like
parvo, distemper, and panleukopenia—keeping them healthy
and happy for years to come!
This month, take a moment to check if your pet is up to date
on their vaccines. Not only does it safeguard their health, but it
also helps protect other pets in your community. Together, we
can stop the spread!

02/21/2025

This is how it's done!

Why didn't I end up with a colony in my backyard?

It's interesting, I've lived in my little cabin for 40 years. It's a very rural area, a previous recreational development,and over those 40 years I've seen cats show up in my backyard. As soon as they showed up I would get out my trap, catch that little cat and get him neutered (99% of the time it was a boy). I released them, but they rarely stayed around – they had been boys roaming around looking for the girls I'm sure. A few did stay, and I worked on socializing them outside. And once they got to the point of liking to be touched and picked up, I worked on finding them homes. But I never ended up with a colony.

I thought about this today because I'm getting ready to help a nearby neighbor TNR the 30 cats and kittens in her area. She lives about a quarter mile away from me but within the same development. 30 cats and kittens.

Last year I helped a neighbor who found a litter of 4 kittens in his garage. I retrieved the litter, trapped the mama – and using my cameras found the daddy and the sister and… A total of 7 adult cats and 4 older kittens. I TNR'd the whole colony, put all the kittens into foster, and was able to get the people to take on feeding and providing shelter for this very sweet colony. They live a half a mile away in the other direction. 15 cats and kittens.

Two years ago I helped a man in our development TNR 20 cats and kittens. The kittens were all fostered and went to homes, several of the adults were actually fairly friendly and they ended up getting homes. Only a few needed to be returned to his site. They live on yet another road in this development, a quarter mile away from me. 20 cats and kittens.

So why did these neighbors end up with all these cats, and why didn't I? One simple reason. I didn't wait. I didn't wait to see if the cat would stay around. I didn't wait to see if it was a boy or a girl. I didn't wait thinking "this isn't my cat, it's not my responsibility" – and I didn't think "this isn't my cat, I can't get it fixed". Plain and simple, I didn't wait. I saw a stray cat on my property, I arranged an appointment to get it neutered and I trapped that cat. Quick and easy and definitely less stress than ending up with 30 cats!

So that's the lesson for today – don't wait! Because if we all take care of the cats in our own backyard, if we all make a plan and take action as soon as we see the cats in our own backyard, pretty soon there will not be a problem.

02/11/2025

Congratulations to PAWS! It is so exciting to have a local organization get such an amazing award from Petco Love. The best part is that Gus found HIS family at Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter (PAWS) / Pioneer Humane Society.

PENDLETON — Two pet adopters shared a story that earned the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter a sizable grant from Petco Love as part of its annual Love Stories campaign.

02/05/2025

🚨 Help Us Prevent a Summer Full of Homeless Kittens! 🚨 🐱💜

Right now, female stray and feral cats are in heat, and kitten season is just around the corner! Winter is the most critical time to spay them before they have their first litters—helping stop the cycle of homelessness before it starts.

Last month alone, thanks to donations and volunteer efforts, we were able to spay 53 female stray & feral cats. That means we’ve prevented hundreds—if not thousands—of kittens from being born on the streets this year! (Just one unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce over 11,000 kittens in five years! 😲)

🐾 Here’s the urgent issue:
We are out of grant funds for spay/neuter surgeries, and we need to raise $3,000–$5,000 to continue this life-saving work. The clinics generously discount these procedures, but they are not free, and our grant money does not cover these costs.

💜 How You Can Help:
✅ Donate any amount—every dollar counts!
✅ Share this post to spread the word.
✅ Volunteer to help trap and transport cats.

We ALL want to see fewer homeless cats in our communities. This is your chance to make a real difference! Donate today and help stop the cycle.

🔗 Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/3380835

Send a message to learn more

02/02/2025

Currently at the Clackamas Petco!
Ryder is showing off his kitten antics in the adoption area in hopes of finding his forever home. If you're looking for a feline friend for your resident cat, take a look at Ryder!

Ryder is an adoptable Cat - Domestic Short Hair searching for a forever family near Clackamas, OR. Use Petfinder to find adoptable pets in your area.

12/31/2024

🎉 Big Thanks to Petco Love! 🎉

We are incredibly grateful to Petco Love for their generous $14,000 grant awarded to Cat Utopia this year! 🐾💕 This amazing contribution has been instrumental in helping us rescue and care for over 800 cats and kittens.

Your support allows us to provide food, shelter, medical care, and so much love to our feline friends as they find their forever homes. Thank you for believing in our mission and for being a partner in creating a better future for animals in need.

Together, we make a difference! 🐾

12/03/2024

🌟 Today is ! 🌟

At Cat Utopia, we’re on a mission to provide second chances for cats and kittens in eastern Oregon. 🐾 As an ALL-volunteer program, every single dollar donated goes directly to rescuing and caring for these precious lives. Thanks to generous donors like you, countless cats and kittens get the opportunity to find loving homes and a better future.

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you—and your amazing friends and family—to include Cat Utopia in your giving plans. 💖 Together, we can change lives one paw at a time! 🐱💕

Thank you for supporting these less fortunate kitties who rely on your kindness. Wishing you a joyful holiday season filled with love and cuddles with your own furry friends! 🎄🐾

👉 Donate today and make a difference!
✨ Share this post to spread the love!

11/26/2024

Adopt Sweet Pea 🩷
Sweet Pea arrived in rescue with 2 kittens in tow. She is still a young girl herself and apparently knew she needed help finding a home for her babies and herself! Sweet Pea has mild/moderate cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), also known as wobbly cat syndrome. She has no idea she is different from any other cat and is perfectly happy to just be herself. CH is not a progressive disorder.
If you are looking for love and a purrfect companion that is both entertaining and cuddly fill out an application and we will contact you! https://forms.gle/Bk3vbv3UntVFS54AA
Sweet Pea has been vaccinated and spayed.
https://www.petfinder.com/cat/sweet-pea-74109926/or/portland/cat-utopia-or435/

11/14/2024

Foster Homes Needed for Special Cats! 🏡💖

Are you looking to make a difference in a cat's life? We’re in search of foster homes, in the SE Portland area, for some of our wonderful cats who need a calm, nurturing environment to help them shine! 🌟

These are cats who could be amazing pets but are feeling overwhelmed in our bustling foster homes. We need fosters willing to spend quality time with one or two cats to help us assess their unique personalities for adoption. It’s the perfect opportunity if you're considering adding a cat to your life—or simply want to make a difference in a cat’s journey to finding the right forever home!

Here’s what we’re looking for:

A home without resident cats (or possibly a very mellow cat or dog).
Someone who is home often and can give them lots of love and attention.
A commitment of at least 8 weeks to let them adjust and feel safe.
By fostering, you’re giving these cats a chance to feel safe, build confidence, and shine as individuals. And who knows—you might just find your new best friend! 🐾💖

If you’re interested, please reach out to us directly, and let’s talk more about how you can help a cat in need. Thank you for making a difference!