All about The Dancing Cat

Hello, our animal-loving friends!

A couple weeks back, we did a fundraiser for The Dancing Cat, a nonprofit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving at-risk cats in San Jose, CA. Well, the calculations are done... We’re donating $640 to The Dancing Cat because of YOU, our wonderful customers, and your purchases!

This blog post is an interview with Mary, one of the founders of The Dancing Cat. We cover how they got started, their cats, events, and some stories to warm your heart! ❤️

How did The Dancing Cat get started? 

Mary: In 2014, Ann and I, who were both fostering kittens for different rescues, connected on NextDoor Mountain View. Interested in how to save the lives of more cats and kittens, we began discussing creative ideas. Inspired by the idea of cat cafes, we decided to test the waters in San Jose. We opened The Dancing Cat in May 2015 as a 4-week pop-up, creating a comfortable, living room-like alternative to the more stressful environment of a shelter. The project was so popular that the doors remained open for five months. In that short time The Dancing Cat welcomed over 2000 guests and found wonderful homes for over 50 cats.  The tremendous success of The Dancing Cat pop-up demonstrated that Silicon Valley was a prime location for a permanent cat adoption lounge and we opened again in May 2016.

Where do your cats come from?

Mary: The majority of our cats are rescued from the San Jose Animal Care Center, the local municipal shelter where cats are surrendered when their owners cannot take care of them anymore. Sadly, sometime cats are simply abandoned and found wandering on the streets. As with human beings, each cat has its own unique history and story. Every week our team visits the shelter to evaluate cats for their potential to thrive at The Dancing Cat and ultimately to find a wonderful home. When a cat is identified, it stays on our radar until space opens at The Dancing Cat or at one of our wonderful foster families. Every cat we rescue is given time and space while it waits to be adopted, and the individual attention it needs for its unique kitty nature to emerge and be understood. Every cat we rescue is a lucky cat!

You host a lot of events! Why are these important? 

Mary: The Dancing Cat also offers a spectrum of events - performances, cat-centric education, art, yoga, and classes for kids - providing a place for people to meet and enjoy their mutual love of cats. The more unique events we have, the chances of introducing a new person to our mission improves. The cats get more visibility, and that's what matters!

What's one of your FAVORITE events you've ever had? 

It is hard to pick just one event as we host so many fun ones. Mew~sic Night performances are always amazing. We recently hosted a magician. Live in the Meow, with cat behavior consultant Daniel "DQ" Quagliozzi is like group therapy for cat owners. Purr Yoga is also always delightful.

Tell us a recent “feel good” story!

Sometimes cats wait quite a long time until the perfect person meets them and falls in love. This was the case with beautiful Penny who was aloof in the shelter, and initially mistaken for feral. Fortunately a kind and caring volunteer saw past her shyness in the nick of time before she was to be released to her last known address. That volunteer contacted us to meet Penny to see if she would do well at The Dancing Cat. Penny was with us for over four months. When Andrew met her in September he was instantly smitten but just settling into his new home. Months later he was still thinking about her and ready! Fortunately Penny was waiting for him and is now The Dancing Cat's adoption #341!

P.S. Did you skim? It's cool. But read this...

The Dancing Cat is currently in the first week of a matching campaign. A small group of our loyal supporters has come together to offer a challenge grant! Between now and May 31, 2019, any amounts donated by our cool cat-loving community will be doubled, up to a maximum of $25,000. A gift of any size helps to make a meaningful difference. If you would like to donate, please visit The Dancing Cat's website here!