Friends of Strays Animal Shelter

Name

Friends of Strays Animal Shelter

Legal name

Friends of Strays, Inc.

Website

https://friendsofstrays.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Shelter Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spay/Neuter & Population Control Programs (BPAGAIAE), Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD), Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption services
• Community cat management
• Animal welfare programs
• Spay neuter services

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Adoption Fees: Fees charged for pet adoptions covering spay/neuter, microchipping, vaccinations, and daily care. Normal adoption fees for adult cats range from $25-$50.
2. Individual Donations: Direct monetary contributions from individuals supporting the shelter's mission. The organization receives no government funding and relies entirely on private support.
3. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Grants from organizations such as Petco Love, Maddie's Fund, Bissell Pet Foundation, Milkey Family Foundation, Community Foundation Tampa Bay. Received $200,000 grant through Pinellas Community Foundation.
4. Fundraising Events: Annual gala (Wags & Whiskers), wine pairing events, yoga events, brewery partnerships, and other fundraising activities. The Wags & Whiskers gala is their largest fundraiser.
5. Planned Giving and Bequests: Wills, bequests, and estate gifts through the Pet Guardianship Program and general planned giving programs.
6. Retail Sales: Online merchandise shop (Threadless) and on-site merch corner sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Friends of Strays Animal Shelter operates a no-kill animal shelter in St. Petersburg, Florida, providing cat and dog adoption, foster care, Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) services for community cats, veterinary care, pet food assistance, and planned-giving pet guardianship. The organization runs two physical adoption facilities (The Cat Box for cats and the main shelter for dogs) and coordinates animal transfers from 30+ partner shelters across Florida.

Product overview

Friends of Strays Animal Shelter operates as a no-kill animal shelter in St. Petersburg, Florida, offering a comprehensive portfolio of animal welfare services organized around adoption, community support, and population management. The shelter's core offerings include cat and dog adoptions through two physical locations (The Cat Box for cats and the main shelter for dogs), a foster program for temporary animal housing, and specialized programs like MEOW Now for community cats TNVR and the Pet Guardianship Program for planned pet care. Additional services include a Pet Food Pantry, Doggy Day Out program, Pets for Patriots, and regular adoption specials and community events. The shelter relies entirely on donations and receives no government funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Cat Box Adoption Center Dedicated cat adoption center located at 3015 46th Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL, featuring free-roaming rooms for cat-friendly cats, traditional kenneled rooms, single/bonded rooms, and kitten rooms. Operates Wednesday through Sunday, 10am-7pm.
• Dog and Puppy Adoptions Dog and puppy adoption services at the main shelter at 2911 47th Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL, matching adopters with shelter animals through Adoption Counselors. Includes spay/neuter, microchipping, and vaccinations.
• Foster Program Foster care program allowing volunteers to temporarily house cats or dogs from the shelter, providing quality care while freeing cage space for additional rescues. Foster families may become permanent adopters.
• MEOW Now: Community Cats TNVR Program Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program for community cats, providing spay/neuter services, vaccinations, and returning healthy feral cats to their colonies to manage feral cat populations humanely.
• Pet Food Pantry Community support program providing free pet food to pet owners in need, helping families keep their pets rather than surrendering them.
• Pet Guardianship Program Estate planning program where pet owners leave a gift to Friends of Strays, ensuring their companion animals will be welcomed into the shelter's care when the owner passes away.
• Doggy Day Out Program allowing community members to borrow a shelter dog for the day, providing enrichment for the animal while giving volunteers an opportunity to interact with potential adopters.
• Pets for Patriots Program connecting military veterans with shelter pets, facilitating meaningful bonds between those who have served and animals in need of homes.
• Intake Program Program managing the intake of animals into the shelter, including transfers from partner shelters across Florida, providing medical care and behavioral support for animals at risk of euthanasia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,017 spay/neuter surgeries performed in 2021, up from 2,607 in 2020
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.

• Best Friends Animal SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational animal welfare organization partnership; Best Friends logo appears on FOS website as a partner, indicating collaboration on no-kill initiatives and shared mission goals.
• Hill's Pet Nutrition (Science Diet)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPet food partner providing nutrition products; logo appears on FOS website partners section.
• Palm Beach County Animal Care and ControlmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized as top transfer partner; transfers animals at risk of euthanasia due to shelter overcapacity from Palm Beach County to FOS for adoption.
• 30+ Florida Shelters and Animal Services OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of transfer partners across Florida state; FOS takes in animals from overcapacity shelters throughout Florida to reduce burden on large intake shelters and save lives.
• Raymond JamessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate employees raised over $6,000 through Cupcakes for Critters bake sale during RJCares month. Corporate volunteer and fundraising partnership.
• Pinellas County Animal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty shelter partnership for TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) program; collaboration on managing community cat populations and reducing shelter euthanasia rates.
• St. Petersburg Free ClinicsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnounced pet food pantry partnership; joint microchip and vaccine clinic events at St. Pete Free Clinic location.
• Edge Animal HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated as supporting partner for free microchip and vaccine clinic for dogs.
• Haines Road Animal HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated as supporting partner for free microchip and vaccine clinic for dogs.
• Lost & Found Pets of PinellassupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated as supporting partner for free microchip and vaccine clinic for dogs.
• Pet SupermarketsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipated as supporting partner for free microchip and vaccine clinic; donates pet food baskets for events.
• Pinellas Ale WorkssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly Yappy Hour events where $1 from every beer sold is donated to FOS. Regular partnership for fundraising events.
• Gulfport Brewery + EaterysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly Pup Social events where FOS is designated benefiting shelter; $1 from featured beer sold donated to FOS.
• The Velvet MatsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPresents Cats and Mats Yoga events at The Cat Box; 40% of ticket sales support Friends of Strays.
• Bayboro Brewing CosupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerHosts kitten showers and fundraising events for FOS; venue for various shelter events.
• The Dog BarsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDog-friendly venue hosts events like Mardi Paw, Easter Foam Party benefiting FOS with raffles and fundraising.
• St. PetersBARK! Natural Pet MarketsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFromm Family Give Back Weekend events where 30% of Fromm product sales donated to FOS.
• Sunshine Kitty CatfesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed official rescue partner of cat cafe, facilitating cat adoptions and visibility.
• Kozuba & Sons DistillerysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided signature cocktail 'The Purrfect Man-cat-tan' for Wags & Whiskers gala; Cat's Meow sponsor at $1,000 level.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Maddie's Fund: National family foundation funding no-kill animal welfare and a current FOS partner/funder; comparable in mission orientation but functions as a grantmaker rather than a shelter operator.
• PetSmart Charities: National funder of animal welfare adoptions and shelter programs (sister to FOS partner Petco Love); adjacent to FOS as a grantmaker and ecosystem participant rather than a direct operating peer.

Direct peers

• Humane Society of Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay-area no-kill animal shelter offering adoptions, veterinary services, and community programs in the same metropolitan market as Friends of Strays; closest geographic direct competitor for adopters, donors, and transfer animals.
• SPCA Florida: Florida-based private nonprofit animal welfare organization operating adoption, veterinary, and community services in Lakeland — directly comparable in mission, service mix, and statewide transfer network participation.
• Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando: Central Florida no-kill shelter offering adoptions, low-cost veterinary care, and community programming; comparable operating model and donor base in another Florida metro.
• Suncoast Animal League: Florida-based no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization serving the Tampa Bay region; directly comparable in mission, scale, and reliance on private donations.

Broad incumbents

• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare organization and FOS partner (logo on FOS website); operates a much broader adoption, sanctuary, and advocacy portfolio across multiple states and represents the national standard for the no-kill movement.
• ASPCA: National animal welfare organization providing rescue, adoption, veterinary, and advocacy services; overlaps with FOS's mission and competes for national donor dollars within the same giving category.
• The Humane Society of the United States: Largest U.S. animal protection organization with national advocacy, shelter support, and grantmaking; competes with FOS for individual donor share and operates parallel no-kill initiatives.

Regional players

• Pinellas County Animal Services: Government-run county shelter that is both a FOS partner (TNVR program, transfers) and a competing intake facility within the same county; comparable in service scope but differentiated by public funding and open-admission status.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkjsJyCzi1ghlu-siEInRDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendsofStraysAnimalShelter
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsofstrays
• TikToktiktok.com/@friendsofstraysfl
• Xx.com/friendsofstrays

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friends of Strays Animal Shelter