Cat Depot

What Cat Depot does

Cat Depot, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 20-0217681) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, operating as the Sarasota region's only rescue, adoption, and education center dedicated exclusively to cats. The organization runs a 11,000-square-foot free-roaming adoption center using the Fear Free Shelter Model with cage-free pods, an on-site Cat Care Clinic providing full-service veterinary care (including surgery, X-ray, ultrasound, and dental), and an off-site Community Center for education and outreach programming. Service operations span Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties with programs including adoption, TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) for community cats, a monthly Food Bank distributing 3,000+ pounds of cat food to 1,500 cats, Safety Net Programs for at-risk pet owners, foster care, Working Cats placements, Seniors-to-Seniors reduced-fee adoptions, and humane education programs including CAT Camp and Reading to Rescues.

Revenue mechanics combine earned income from adoption fees ($25-$100+), veterinary clinic services (6,000+ patient visits annually, 2,300 active clients), and retail sales, with philanthropic income from individual donors, corporate sponsors ($1,500-$5,000 partner tiers), and institutional grants from foundations including BISSELL Pet Foundation, Banfield Foundation, Flanzer Trust, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Florida Animal Friend, Manatee Community Foundation, and Pets for the Elderly. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with co-founders Ken Slavin (President/Treasurer) and Linda Slavin (Vice President) maintaining active leadership, and professional operations led by Co-Executive Directors Diana de Veer (Operations, CVPM-certified) and Anna Gonce (Advancement), Medical Director Dr. Michelle Cunningham, and three additional DVMs. Since founding, Cat Depot has saved over 21,000 cats and rehomes approximately 1,200-1,500 animals annually.

The go-to-market approach is community-led and event-driven: leveraging a foster network (59 active families, up 48% YoY), volunteer base, county-government transfer partnerships (Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto Animal Services), adoption events (Empty the Shelters, Pick Your Price), and grassroots fundraising (808 donors raised $172,976 in the 2026 Giving Challenge). The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and is nominated across seven categories in Sarasota Magazine's Best of Sarasota 2026.

Name

Cat Depot

Legal name

Cat Depot, Inc.

Website

https://catdepot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cat Depot is a Sarasota, Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 that operates the region's only cat-exclusive rescue, adoption, and education center, providing adoption services, on-site veterinary care, TNVR programs, and community support across three counties, having saved over 21,000 cats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Rescue & Welfare Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Cat-Only Boarding (Cattery) (HSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cat Daycare & Cat Playcare (HSANAHAF), Feline-Only Veterinary Clinics (HLAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Cat rescue services
• Animal adoption
• Affordable veterinary care
• Nonprofit animal shelter
• Feline welfare programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Support: Funding from foundations including Pets for the Elderly, BISSELL Pet Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, Flanzer Trust, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cat Depot is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating Sarasota's only rescue, adoption, and education center dedicated exclusively to cats. It runs an 11,000-square-foot free-roaming adoption center, an on-site Cat Care Clinic offering affordable veterinary services, a Community Cats TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) program, a monthly Food Bank, Safety Net crisis support programs, a Working Cats placement program, a Foster Program, humane education programs (including CAT Camp and Reading to Rescues), a Supply & Gift Store, VIP Tours, and a Lifetime Care Program.

Product overview

Cat Depot is Sarasota's only nonprofit rescue, adoption, and education center dedicated exclusively to saving cats and kittens. The organization operates as a unified service organization rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, offering multiple interconnected programs including a free-roaming Adoption Center, Cat Care Clinic (full-service veterinary facility), Community Cats TNVR program, Food Bank, Safety Net Programs, Working Cats Program, Foster Program, Humane Education programs (including CAT Camp and Reading to Rescues), a Supply & Gift Store, VIP Tours, and a Lifetime Care Program. These programs work together to fulfill the mission of saving lives, finding loving homes, and providing resources and education to improve the destiny of homeless cats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cat Adoption Center
• Cat Care Clinic
• Community Cats TNVR Program
• Food Bank
• Safety Net Programs
• Working Cats Program
• Seniors to Seniors Program
• Foster Program
• Humane Education Programs
• Supply & Gift Store
• VIP Tours
• Low-Cost Vaccine Clinic
• Lost & Found Cat Reunification

Quantifiable outcome

• 21,000+ cats and kittens saved since founding
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Best Friends Animal SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational animal welfare organization and part of Best Friends Partner Network. Supports Cat Depot's rescue and adoption mission with resources and network connectivity.
• Hill's Pet NutritionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPet food manufacturer providing nutritional products for cats in Cat Depot's care.
• ShelterLuvcoreTechnology or IntegrationAnimal management software platform powering adoption applications, foster program coordination, cat surrender forms, and TNVR scheduling.
• Carotti Engineering LLCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business partner supporting Cat Depot through corporate partnership program.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: Historic national animal welfare nonprofit operating shelter, legislative, and grant programs. Comparable to Cat Depot as a multispecies counterpart at national scale, pursuing adoption, rescue, and veterinary care as core service pillars.
• Petco Love: National nonprofit life-savings arm of Petco funding adoptions, lost-pet reunification, and welfare grants. Comparable to Cat Depot as a national animal welfare funder and direct tech partner via Petco Love Lost's photo-matching platform.
• Humane Society of the United States: Largest national animal protection organization, supporting shelters, advocacy, and direct care programs. Comparable to Cat Depot as a high-profile, multi-geography animal welfare nonprofit that channels donor dollars to local affiliates and rescue operations.
• Best Friends Animal Society: The largest multispecies animal welfare organization in the U.S. and direct strategic partner of Cat Depot through the Best Friends Partner Network. Comparable as a national animal welfare nonprofit pursuing no-kill goals, with a much broader multispecies mandate and substantially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Alley Cat Allies: The leading national advocacy organization focused exclusively on cats and community cat management. Directly comparable to Cat Depot's TNVR and Community Cats mission, with a grassroots advocacy and education model targeting the same feline-overpopulation problem.

Others

• BISSELL Pet Foundation: National animal welfare foundation that sponsors Empty the Shelters and reduced-fee adoption events, partnering with 335+ shelters across 39 states. Comparable as a funder/partner of Cat Depot's adoption events and a structural node in the animal welfare funding ecosystem.
• Pets for the Elderly Foundation: Foundation that subsidizes senior-to-senior adoption fees — a direct program partner of Cat Depot for the $25 Seniors to Seniors program. Comparable as a niche donor-channel that affects Cat Depot's adoption mix and adoption economics.

Regional players

• SPCA Tampa Bay: Regional Florida animal welfare nonprofit operating shelter, veterinary, and community programs on the Gulf Coast. Comparable to Cat Depot as a mid-sized regional SPCA with similar program pillars (adoption, low-cost vet, pet support) in a nearby service area.
• Humane Society of Sarasota County: Local open-admission shelter in Sarasota County serving dogs and cats alongside other companion animals. Comparable to Cat Depot as a regional Sarasota animal welfare nonprofit with overlapping donors, volunteers, and transfer-partner dynamics with municipal animal services.
• Florida Animal Friend: Florida-specific grant-making entity funded by specialty license plate sales that funds TNVR programs statewide. Directly comparable to Cat Depot as a regional funding source for the same community-cat sterilization mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CatDepot
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVY4ICS6XMUUlIOZxON-gzg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CatDepot
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cat-depot
• Instagraminstagram.com/catdepot
• TikToktiktok.com/@catdepot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cat Depot