Finally — The Purrrfect Exercise!
Homeward Bound Pet Shelter, a no-kill pet shelter in Illinois, was looking to do something different to help find homes for some of their cats. Adoptions can be hard to come by, so they knew they needed to do something different — something out of the box. And that's when they stumbled upon the incredible idea of combining felines and fitness!
Partnering with a local fitness studio, the shelter organized a special exercise class where 6 adoptable cats would join in while students worked out. And the intermingling of sweat and meows was adorable!
While some of the cats watched curiously from the perimeter, some of the braver felines got right up in the mix!
Some even joined in on a few yoga stretches!
“The ones that were really active really made the class a lot of fun,” the fitness instructor said. “They jumped on the students and kissed them. One had their butt in my face, but we had so much fun with them.”
The event was a howling success. The one class alone raised $500 for the shelter! And one of the friendly felines went home with one of the students.
One of the Homeward Bound volunteers explains why something like this is so important for these cats:
“A lot of people find shelters depressing, so they’re not inclined to visit. By taking the cats to something like a yoga class, people have the opportunity see and interact with them outside the shelter. It gives these cats exposure and shows their personality. I think people can envision these pets in their home easier because they’re outside the shelter.”
Thanks to these wonderful results, the shelter plans to have more classes just like this one. And they hope that this idea will catch on nationally to help boost adoptions all over.
“I felt so blessed to have the chance to do this. We had to step back and just say ‘wow,'” the studio owner said. “I don’t charge enough for yoga. To me it’s not about money, because I like helping people. But now that I can help animals become adopted, that’s a whole different world for me.”
Watch the workout kitties in action:
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h/t: The DoDo
Featured Image Credit: YouTube