Feral cat colonies require a lot of food. And cat food is expensive. These colonies also yield a number of cats and kittens who require care. Many of these collected cats return to their colonies ready to live a managed life, while others go on to find forever homes. Shelters like Gleaning the World in Virginia work hard to make this happen for all the kitties they meet. Their goal for cats is a healthy life with plenty of food. But they couldn’t manage to feed all these kitties without your help.

When you shop with iHeartCats, every single purchase funds donations for felines in need. Whether you purchase a cute cat shirt for yourself or supplements for your cat, that cart full of goodies gives compassion. Through our partnership with Greater Good Charities and their GOODS Program, we ensure shelter cats receive food and other necessities while waiting for their forever home. The GOODS Program distributes pet food to shelters and rescues across the country and has been keeping hungry bellies full for over a decade.

Feeding Felines with Good Food

To date, the GOODS Program has delivered over 578 million meals to shelters and rescues nationwide. That’s more than 6,000 truckloads of necessities provided to animals in need! But it’s about more than filling bowls. It’s about doing everything possible to save feline lives. And here’s one tale about two sweet ginger kittens who owe it all to teamwork.

“On a recent visit to Gleaning For The World’s warehouse in Concord, Virginia, Furrever Friends Lodge Director, Mary Huffman, was carrying a small carrier with her,” shared Jeane of Gleaning the World. “Inside was a warm blanket and 4, very fragile kittens, which Mary was feeding every two hours.”

“The pregnant, feral mother had been recently trapped and removed from a large, commercial barn due to high volume traffic. Soon after, the kittens were born, but unfortunately momma cat stopped nursing altogether. While she was receiving medical care herself, Mary took over the role of mom.”

As we know, not all the kitties can be saved because sometimes illness and injury overwhelm their malnourished bodies. In this case, the mama cat and two babies didn’t make it. And like Mary told Jeane, “This sadness breaks your heart ‘but comes with the work we do.'”

But struggling against the odds, two of the four kittens made it and are “doing well.” These happy little kittens are growing up strong with their little tummies stuffed full of good food you helped provide. And the good news?

“Soon, they will be ready for their ‘furrever homes!'”

Whether In Homes or Colonies

These orange cuties were found thanks to feral cat colony care, and Gleaning the World reveals that much of their food goes to these wild kitties. The donated food is so appreciated.

“As a recipient of the GOODS Program, we have received cat and kitten food on several occasions that we use for our rescues, but we also help support community’ cat colony’ caretakers. These are usually limited income people who take care of anywhere from 5 to 30 homeless cats every day. We donate food and supplies to support them.”

And those feral cats sure are happy to see those snacks! So, even though you don’t see these cats, you and GOODS are giving them better lives.

“Our partnership with Gleaning and Greater Good Charities allows us to provide more assistance to people in our community than we could do on our own. And with Mutt Nation providing free food, that helps us even more! We’re very, very grateful!”

With that in mind, go ahead and treat yourself to something cute; you’ve earned it for being a cat hero! Every purchase fills food bowls.

Shop & Give Back!

The following products provide quality food for shelters and rescues, helping them reserve more of their precious funds for medical expenses, supplies, and spreading the word about their adoptable pups and kitties.