MAN 1: The Pima Animal Care Center is the only open admission shelter in Tucson.
Every year, it takes in roughly 20,000 animals, mostly dogs and cats.
The goal is to spay or neuter and microchip and then adopt
out as many of these animals as possible.
SAMANTHA: It's referred to as a live-release rate.
The last fiscal year we made it to ninety.
Um, when I first started here a few years ago, it was in like the low seventies.
MAN 1: Ten years ago, the live-release was around forty percent.
Getting it to ninety was hard work.
It means a lot more of these animals are finding homes and leaving the shelter alive.
Innovations and new ideas help, including expanding the foster program.
SAMANTHA: Foster programs are amazing.
Especially for little guys like him and younger.
Um, the shelters really not a place to grow up.
REBECCA: I've been a foster for Pima Animal Care Center for many, many years.
I know that there's such a desperate need
and on social media I often see desperate pleas going out.
Seven bottle fed babies or eyes not opening up yet must leave the shelter.
MAN 1: Rebecca Hamilton is a registered nurse at Catalina Springs Memory Care.
Here, they provide round the clock care for residents with Alzheimer's,
dementia and other forms of memory loss REBECCA: We are always looking for new activities
for them that can meaning and depth and joy into their lives.
MAN 1: Hamilton had an idea that the residents and caregivers
at the center could act as a collective foster family.
REBECCA: They said fine when we find the next perfect litter, you'll get a call.
SAMANTHA; Of course, I was like "Yeah!, we'll do it right now if you wanna do it
" REBECCA: That was on a Tuesday Afternoon.
Wednesday afternoon, I got the call.
We have the perfect two kittens for you.
MAN 1: And so it began, two tiny kittens that needed
to be bottle fed every few hours joined residents at the center.
REBECCA; One is Turtle, that's the official name and the other one's named Peaches.
Peaches was a little, tiny baby wrapped up in a towel.
Do you remember that?
THELMA; Oh, you little baby.
That was you, baby.
REBECCA: But do you remember holding her and giving her the bottle?
And I would always come?
THELMA: Yeah,yeah.
REBECCA: And I'd say who wants to feed kittens?
PATRICIA: I did!
REBECCA: Yes, you did, and you were very good at it.
REBECCA: As that muscle memory is reengaged, holding a baby, giving a baby a bottle,
memory channels are completed and reawakened again and that's what's so lovely
about the story of Thelma suddenly recalling, you know, all the cats that she had raised
in - on the farm where she grew up .
THELMA: We had nineteen.
REBECCA: Nineteen?
THELMA: Well, it feels just like a baby.
I used to put mine in a baby carriage - take it around and put a dress on it.
REBECCA: Those memories are very precious to us because those memories are some
of the first things that our residents lose.
This is Jean Claude Coline.
JEAN: Oui.
REBECCA: Oui, and he is from France.
And this is Greg Moore and Greg, I think, actually is more bonded
with these cats than almost anyone here.
GREG: I had a cat when I was a kid and uh and then we had dogs after that.
But, there's always been an animal around someplace around the house.
JEAN: Your cat is not as good as mine.
REBECCA: I know.
There's so much to say about these kittens that I find,
with some of our residents, words come more easily.
GREG: They can let them out of their cage and they're usually pretty lazy- pretty lazy but,
uh, it'll brighten up and could go on real fast.
REBECCA: Yes, this is a dear gentleman, but he really does significant cognitive deficits.
This whole experience and subject is important to him
and he has really done his absolute best to express that.
GREG: My guess is that there is about two and a half pounds or two.
MAN 1: Now that Turtle and Peaches are over two pounds they will soon be spayed
and adopted out to their forever homes.
Residents here will have to say goodbye.
REBECCA: This was always a nice happy place but it is very joyful with their presence.
[elderly people laughing] MAN 2: She loves you!
REBECCA: Sometimes we give comfort and we receive comfort at the same time
and that's certainly been the case here.
MAN 1: It may be difficult to say goodbye to these two - how could it not be?
But the program will continue.
SAMANTHA: This was the first like, little pilot litter so after these guys come back,
they actually want to try with two different litters next times
because they have two separate wings.
So, each wing of the memory care facility can have their own litter to take care of.
GREG: I think that I won't be surprising to find that getting a replacement for SAMANTHA:
This program has actually got a ton of attention.
Not only just here in Southern Arizona but like Phoenix, in Canada.
As far away as like the UK.
REBECCA: My ulterior motive in all of this is that this serve as an example.
It is an ideal combination, a perfect use of resources for the good of both and um I hope
that other assisted living homes use our example and take it further.
So should we get some more ?
JEAN: Twenty more REBECCA: Twenty more?
JEAN: Oh, yeah.
REBECCA: Okay [Jean laughs] REBECCA: We'll have you bottle feeding all day JEAN: Oh, yeah.
REBECCA: Okay.