August 27, 2025 Back Home

A Day in the Life of a Shelter Cat at Placer SPCA

By: Cali Rose, resident of Placer SPCA

My day at Placer SPCA usually begins shortly before 7 a.m. — when my fellow feline residents and I hear the soft shuffle of humans throughout our humble abode. It’s meow time.

First we get checked by the animal care team. These early birds do a top notch job of ensuring we are all happy and healthy to start the day. I am not a morning person, so this is my least favorite time of the day.

Next up is a visit from the animal care technicians, who, in addition to making sure we’re in tip-top shape, give us our meds and meals. You wouldn’t believe how finicky some of the other cats can be about food — luckily, the staff at Placer SPCA does a top-notch job of accommodating our individual tastes. All of them are true cat chefs if you ask me. Chef’s kiss.

I can’t even imagine how much time, effort, and energy goes into feeding all of us. From what I can gather with my feline senses, Placer SPCA is a massive place for cats (and other companion animals) looking for forever homes.

By my account, there are on average 50 or so kittens and cats just like me here, all looking for adoption, and that’s not to mention all the new cats coming in every week.

ABOUT ME:
When you look up royalty in the dictionary, Cali Rose’s picture should be front and center. Her bright green eyes with her multicolored fur makes for a striking first impression. Cali Rose has a few royal decrees for her new family. First, her family must be fully stocked with string and spring toys. Second, as the people’s Queen, she does allow other animals into her kingdom as she is a fair and just ruler. Third, Cali Rose is looking for a home with children ten and over due to her royal ability to get overstimulated with petting.

Rumor has it there’s a whole other facility where we all start out with hundreds of kittens that the Placer SPCA staff takes care of. I don’t remember much about it, but somehow they make it work. Every now and then, a few of those cute kittens end up here too.

I digress.

Not long after getting filled up with breakfast – the volunteers scoop our litter boxes and refill them with the best stuff I’ve ever tried. Smells like corn. Doesn’t track. Naturally safe. Legit, big fan.

Once I use the litter box (I like to go immediately after it’s refilled), I play with some of the amazing volunteers and then I go say hello to my friend Rusty — a 5-year-old orange tabby

Rusty and I haven’t known each other too long, but he’s already made a big impression on me, especially during the lonely times when it’s nice to have someone to talk to. He doesn’t say much back, of course, as Rusty tends to only enjoy the company of humans and not other animals. But, I’m certain he’s listening.

Rusty is essentially my “personal life coach.” Always listening and enjoying time with humans. Seriously, he’s either listening to me blab or playing with a wand toy or fetch with a human.

Whoever adopts Rusty is getting quite the companion.

Anywho, I’ll typically bump into Rusty outside his cat apartment and I’ll do all the talking and then we’ll really get into our day. This is when things start to get seriously social and fun — for some of us at least. Some cats, like Rusty, don’t socialize well with others, believe it or not.

While the amazing staff work to clean up our homes with soap and water (best turndown service ever), the other feline residents and I typically begin our day bickering over a toy (it’s always the crinkle ball) or obsessing over a paper bag filled with cat nip.

Next up is figuring out which cardboard box I’m going to claim for my mid-morning siesta. Ever seen a bunch of cats purring and snoring? It’s quite the sight.

Once my cat nap is complete, I head out to our catio — which, if you’re not familiar with, is basically an outdoor condo for cats. It’s amazing. It’s incredible that a place like Placer SPCA is able to provide that for us felines.

Anyways, the outdoors is a wild place. I’ve seen all sorts of birds, and even the occasional train pass by.

Then, after my second siesta in the warm California sun, I head back inside to play with some of the volunteers again. We’re so lucky we get to play with them 3-4 times a day. Sometimes they even blow bubbles into the room for us to enjoy. Crazy stuff.

Anywho, I love the routine we have at Placer SPCA, but the best part of my day is when we get visitors looking to adopt. I can tell when this is happening because people I’ve never seen before will enter the cat area and start looking around.

While the humans look us over, we’re just as busy watching them. It’s true what they say, sometimes cats are the ones to pick their humans.

I haven’t been lucky enough to get adopted yet, but I’ve seen several of my buddies find forever homes and it’s pretty amazing. While I’m always sad to see a fellow feline leave, and I know the staff and volunteers are too, it’s all good at the end of the day.

My forever home will happen someday. For now, I’m perfectly happy with my friends at Placer SPCA.