Cleveland APL Launches Meet Your Match® Feline-ality™

New Adoption Program to Help More Shelter Cats Find Homes

Cleveland, OH December 19, 2008 — Imagine the heart-warming sight of an adult cat going home with a family that perfectly matches his adventurous personality … a confident, loving tabby cat being hand-picked by a retired couple looking for companionship … or an energetic tuxedo cat going home with the newlywed couple who will provide a lifelong home.
 
Increasing the likelihood that cat adopters will find the purr-fect cat to match their likes and lifestyle is the underlying goal of the Meet Your Match® Feline-ality™ Adoption Program, a program developed by Dr. Emily Weiss, Senior Director of Behavior Programs, at the ASPCA®. Pilot programs have seen results of up to a 40 percent increase in adoptions.
  
The Cleveland Animal Protective League announced today starting on Monday, December 22nd, just in time for the holidays, it will be using the Feline-ality program to further increase the potential for successful, permanent placements for the organization’s adopted cats. The program — which includes a research-based behavior assessment of each cat and a brief survey of each adopter — results in a color-coded matchmaking system that brings compatible companions together. The cat assessment reliably predicts how an individual cat is likely to behave in its new home. The adopter’s survey identifies the characteristics of the adopter’s preferences and lifestyle that correlate with specific feline-alities. Adopters can then look for the cats with the specific feline-alities they feel would be a good fit for their household.  It’s like a Match.com for cats!

Cats with a green color-coded description are called “Party Animals”, “MVPs” or “Leaders of the Band.” Green cats are savvy, unflappable and adventurous.  Cats with an orange classification make great companion kitties and are called “Sidekicks,” “Executives” or “Personal Assistants.” Cats with a purple classification seek affection, are quiet and stay out of trouble. They’re called “Secret Admirers,” “Love Bugs” or “Private Investigators.”

“The goal for every adoption is to find a loving home for our cats,” says Executive Director Sharon Harvey.  “The Feline-ality program will help us do that by allowing our counselors to match the expectations and lifestyles of the adopters with the behaviors and feline-alities of the cats.”