Savannah, Georgia — A neighborhood cat cafe is helping household pets stay fed as the government shutdown continues.
Several Georgians are still affected by the delay in SNAP benefits, and while organizations have stepped up to combat hunger and food insecurity in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry, a quiet family member has also been affected: dogs.
Pounce Cat Cafe, a Savannah institution, has assisted in the adoption of nearly 1700 cats over the years, and the organization is now stepping forward to help families who are struggling to feed their pets. Ashley Brooks, the cafe’s owner, says they’ve received a lot of community support and donations:
“We’ve definitely gotten a ton of Amazon boxes… probably 100 cans of cat food. “I’m sure there will be a lot of deliveries coming through on Monday,” she remarked.
The cafe has opened its doors in downtown Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., to anyone in need of assistance during the shutdown. Brooks expressed her desire to spread the news so that other people might benefit from this resource.
“People are very concerned with how people are going to feed their animals,” Brooks told me. “We would hate for people to get rid of their animals because of the shutdown.”
Cat and dog food, litter, and other pet supplies are available for free pickup every day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the government shutdown.
The café owner encourages anyone in need of assistance to contact them via email or phone at 912-777-6181 if they need to schedule a pick-up time outside of business hours.
Those interested in supporting the project can make donations in person at 404 W Broughton St. in Savannah, through their Amazon wish list, or through Venmo.
Brooks says Pounce Cat Cafe plans to undertake more efforts like this in the future, and that when the government reopens, all donations will go to the Humane Society of Greater Savannah, which also runs a pet food bank.
One Love Rescue also operates additional pet food pantries.
