Black Cats at BOO!
at the Zoo
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
OCTOBER 3-30
See adoptable cats from Young-Williams Animal Center, and find out why the cats with the spookiest reputation make some of the sweetest companions! Cats are only on exhibit during BOO! at the Zoo hours, 5:30 – 9 PM. BOO! at the Zoo is presented by Chick-fil-A Knoxville.
This October, one of the cutest stops at BOO! at the Zoo has whiskers. Zoo Knoxville is teaming up with Young-Williams Animal Center to host a Black Cat Exhibit at Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure where guests can see adoptable cats up close, talk with our team about what adoption involves, and start the process of bringing one home.
The cats stay in their condo, where they can climb, nap, and watch the crowd from somewhere that feels safe. You are welcome to look, ask questions, and fall a little bit in love from just outside.
A new group of cats settles in each Thursday and stays through Sunday, so every weekend brings new faces!
This Week’s Residents:
Adoptable cats are in the condo from Thursday through Sunday. Next week, a new group takes their place. Check back each week to see who is here!
Please note: not every cat in the exhibit will be black. Every cat here is looking for a home, and every one of them deserves the spotlight.
Meet WiniFRED!
WiniFRED is obviously a well balanced guy just waiting to walk the line of your heart!
Come see him at the Black Cat Exhibit in Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure.
ID: A0061803325
Sex: Male
Age: Juvenile (2 to 5 months)
Coat: Black
Meet Mary!
Mary is ready for her fall shoot at Olan Mills with you!
Come see her at the Black Cat Exhibit in Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure.
ID: A0061803324
Sex: Female
Age: Juvenile (2 to 5 months)
Coat: Black
Meet Sarah!
Sarah keeps things looking up. Time with her is always paw-sative!
Come see her at the Black Cat Exhibit in Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure.
ID: A0061803327
Sex: Female
Age: Juvenile (2 to 5 months)
Coat: Black
Meet Max!
Max is one comfy, lounging boy. He’s ready to relax with your crew!
Come see him at the Black Cat Exhibit in Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure.
ID: A0061803330
Sex: Male
Age: Juvenile (2 to 5 months)
Coat: White
WHY BLACK CATS?
Bad luck? Not a chance.
Black cats have been carrying an unfair reputation for a few hundred years, and it is time to set the record straight.
Black is one of the most common coat colors in shelters, and in many shelter populations it is the single most common. That means black cats are often the largest group waiting for homes at any given moment.
The superstition is not universal either. In much of the world, a black cat crossing your path is considered good luck. In Scotland, a black cat arriving at your door has long been a sign of coming prosperity. Sailors once kept black cats aboard ship to ensure a safe voyage.
And in practical terms, black cats are wonderfully low maintenance in one specific way: their fur does not show on a black sweater!
HOW ADOPTION WORKS
Adoptions will take place at Young-Williams Animal Center, but the process starts with love at first sight here at the exhibit!
1. See the cats and talk with our team. Spend some time watching the cats in the condo and let our team know if you’d like to take an interest form.
2. Fill out your interest form. If one of the cats seems like your match, our team will provide you with an interest form right there at the exhibit. It takes just a few minutes to complete, and it is not a commitment.
3. Take your interest form to Young-Williams. Starting at 10 a.m. on the Monday after your visit, bring your interest form to Young-Williams Animal Center at 3201 Division Street.
4. Meet your cat in person and take them home from Young-Williams. An adoption specialist will meet with you, answer your questions, and introduce you to the cat you are interested in if they are still available. That visit is when you and your cat finally get to spend time together, and when the adoption is finalized. If it feels right, your cat goes home with you that day!
Please note: Adoptions are first come, first served. Your interest form does not hold or reserve a cat. It lets our team know which cat you are hoping to meet and saves you a step when you arrive, but each cat goes home with the first person who comes in and completes the adoption. If you have your heart set on someone, Monday morning is the time to come.
Why the cats stay put: Cats cannot go home directly from the zoo during the event. Each group is here Thursday through Sunday, and keeping their space and their company steady across the weekend is what makes the exhibit comfortable for them. We appreciate your patience, and so do they!
What you will need
• A valid photo ID
• YWAC adoption fees: Kittens (under 6 months) $100, adopt one kitten and get one free. Adults (6
months to under 3 years) $25. Adults (3 years and older) no fee.
• If you rent, please check your lease’s pet policy in advance
Not ready today?
That is completely fine! Adoption is a ten to twenty year commitment, and taking time to think it through is a sign of a good adopter, not a hesitant one. There are so many ways to get involved with Young-Williams Animal Center. If you cannot adopt, please consider fostering, volunteering, or donating to help Young-Williams continue their life-saving work.
CAN’T ADOPT? OTHER WAYS TO HELP!
Not every hero takes a cat home
Foster. Fostering gives a cat a break from the shelter and gives us the space to help another animal. Young- Williams provides the food, supplies, and medical care. You provide the love.
Volunteer. Young-Williams volunteers walk dogs, socialize cats, help at events, and keep the whole operation running.
Donate. Your donation helps lost, stray, abused and abandoned animals find their forever home. Young- Williams Animal Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax-deductible.
Bring supplies. Supply donations can be dropped off at 3201 Division Street or 6400 Kingston Pike, 7 days a week.
Share. Post a photo from the exhibit and tag @ywacpets and @zooknoxville. A share costs nothing and reaches someone who is ready to adopt.
ABOUT YOUNG-WILLIAMS ANIMAL CENTER
Young-Williams Animal Center is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, that is 75 percent self-funded through fundraising grants and the generosity of our community and serves the needs of lost, unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals. The center's mission is to lead the community to end pet homelessness, promote animal welfare and enhance the human-animal bond through the shelter and placement of animals, spay/neuter initiatives and public education of companion animal issues. Young-Williams Animal Center reminds pet owners to spay and neuter their pets.
Young-Williams Animal Center's main facility is located off Sutherland Avenue at 3201 Division St. Young- Williams Animal Village satellite adoption location and public spay/neuter program is located at 6400 Kingston Pike.
Both locations are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shelter closes from 1 to 2 p.m. for an hour of quiet time for the animals. For more information about Young-Williams Animal Center, call 865-433- 9922.
FAQs
Yes. There is no additional charge to
visit.
Not during the exhibit. The condo is the cats’ space, and being handled by hundreds of
guests over a weekend would be a lot for any cat, let alone one adjusting to a new environment. You can
get close, watch them do very important cat things, and ask our team anything. If you fill out an interest
form, you will spend time with your cat at Young-Williams before the adoption is final.
Not all of them. The exhibit celebrates black cats and the myths that follow them,
and it features adoptable cats of every color from Young-Williams.
Please do not bring pets to BOO! at the Zoo. If you would
like to do a meet and greet with a current pet, Young-Williams can arrange that at their campus.
Not from the zoo. Interest forms are filled out on site, and then you can bring yours to Young-Williams at 3201 Division Street starting at 10 a.m. the Monday after your visit. That is when you meet the cat and, if it is a match, take them home.
Whoever comes to Young-Williams with their interest form and meets with the cat will have priority to adopt.
No, but it saves you time. You are welcome to come to 3201 Division Street and ask about any of the cats from the exhibit, and the Young-Williams Team will have you fill one out when you arrive.
Adoptions are first come, first served. Whoever arrives at Young-Williams first and meets with the cat has priority to adopt. An interest form does not reserve a cat, so if there is one you really want, plan on Monday morning.
The exhibit runs Thursday through Sunday each week.
A new group of cats arrives each week.
They return to Young-Williams, where they stay
available for adoption until they find a home.
Don’t worry! The cats have a quiet retreat space in the condo, a rest
schedule, and attentive staff watching over them the entire time.
Probably not at first, and that is expected. Most cats need time to adjust.
Consider the 3-3-3 rule. The first 3 days are a decompression time where you should give your cat a safe, quiet space to retreat alone with all the things they need. Let your cat come to you and know hiding is totally normal.
Next, the first 3 weeks are where you’ll find a routine together. This is a great time for positive reinforcement through treats and adding toys, a cat tree or vertical space for them to explore.
Lastly, in the first 3 months you’ll start to see your cat settle in. They’ll develop trust and can take slow, at-their-own-pace introductions. Keep their routine, enrichment and positive reinforcement going! These rules can fluctuate with each cat.