On July 1st, Friends of Strays unveiled their new cat adoption center: The Cat Box. It’s a safe and peaceful haven for adoptable felines. Meet 1-year-old Arena. Photo by Cameron Healy
After four years of work, Friends of Strays has opened an adoption center for all their feline friends called The Cat Box. Inside the green building, whose entrance is decorated with white cat ears, there is a welcoming, relaxing and spacious environment for adoptable cats.
On July 1, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening ceremony. Dara Eckart, CEO of Friends of Strays, said about 75 people attended the grand opening. The Cat Box is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visitors can move from room to room to meet the adoptable cats and kittens. Photo by Cameron Healy
Staff moved the cats from the shelter’s current site on June 25. The remaining space in the shelter will be designated for cats receiving medical care. This includes cats in the organization’s TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-release) programs.
Friends of Strays currently has an overflow of kittens looking for homes at The Cat Box. Photo by Cameron Healy
Eckart said he noticed an immediate change in the cats’ behavior once they settled into their new (hopefully temporary) home.
“It’s definitely made a huge difference with the cats,” Eckart said. “They’re much calmer and more friendly, and they love their space here. It’s been a wonderful transition.”
The cat’s box
Caged rooms are for cats who want some space away from others, while rooms designated as “free” are for more sociable cats. Photo by Cameron Healy
The Cat Box has nine rooms for cats: three rooms for adult cats without cages, two rooms for adult cats with cages, two rooms for kittens and two “hair-bnbs” for solitary cats or bonded pairs and, occasionally, for excess kittens.
Here is Daemon. He is 10 years old and is staying in one of the “hair-bnbs” with his brother Ser Criston. A CD player plays lullabies for the brothers, as they are both rather shy. Photo by Cameron Healy
Caged rooms are for cats who want their own personal bubble, while rooms designated as “free” are for more sociable cats.
“In our old building, we didn’t have windows in the cat rooms. Now, they can have some sun,” said Jessica Salmond, communications and marketing manager.
Cats and kittens are so happy to have a window to nap in. This is Roxanne. She clearly loves to sleep in the sun. Photo by Cameron Healy
Salmond said that when the weather cools, staff plan to plant a butterfly garden near the outside windows to keep the kittens entertained.
Salmond said they plan to plant a butterfly garden next to the outside windows to keep the kittens entertained. Here’s Shelly, 9 months old. She loves to play and hide in small spaces.Photo by Cameron Healy
Each room has a pun-named name and signs that recognize the facility’s donors. One of the adult caged cat rooms is “Mew Mew Motel” and “Happy Cat Hollow” is one of the names of the vacant rooms.
Donations and Opportunities
The community event room will be used for volunteer trainings, birthday parties and kitty yoga classes. Photo by Cameron Healy
Additionally, the facility features a community event room, staff office space, and a central area where visitors can organize adoption plans.
The community event hall will be used for volunteer trainings, birthday parties, and even kitty yoga.
Here’s Snickers! She’s a 5-year-old cat who loves to lounge around in her spare room. Photo by Cameron Healy
Along the hallway leading to the community event room is a mural of a cat with a whimsical rainbow mane. Eckart called it the “donor wall.” He said people who donate $250, $500 and $1,000 will have a circular plaque with their names mounted on the wall.
People who donate $250, $500, and $1,000 will have a circular plaque with their names on the donor wall. Photo by Cameron Healy
Future Plans: Milkey Bone Dog
Overall, the plan is to create the Schwartz Family Adoption Campus at Friends of Strays. The Cat Box was the first phase of a three-phase plan.
The Cat Box is the first phase of a three-phase plan with Friends of Strays. Photo courtesy of Friends of Strays
In 2020, Friends of Strays purchased two adjacent buildings on 46th Avenue North. One became The Cat Box, and the other will be The Milkey Bone Dog House (named for major donor, the Milkey Foundation), a dog adoption center set to open in 2026. By then, the current Friends of Strays location will be used for medical, shelter, and foster care programs.
According to the shelter, this project costs $6 million. So far they have raised about $4 million.
The cat’s box, 3015 46th Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 10am to 6pm 727-522-6566, friendsofstrays.org.
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