Cats are getting a new lease on life from a tiny corner of Costa Mesa.
Most know the PetSmart on West 17th Street as being near Trader Joe’s and as a place for all one’s pet needs. But did you know a family-run, nondescript Costa Mesa hometown nonprofit is run out of there too? And it has a clever name: Oppurrtunities.
As the moniker implies, they’re all about giving opportunities to cats, hundreds of them.
Davis and Teresa Are Two Of The Cats Up For Adoption At Oppurrtunities, a Costa Mesa-based Nonprofit.
Photos: Bradley Zint
Oppurrtunities uses a space within a corner of PetSmart to house its cats that are up for adoption. Cages are viewable from inside the store.
There’s no signage saying Oppurrtunities is there. It’s kind of under the radar like that. People just seem to know about Oppurrtunities or learn about the group after walking into PetSmart.
Still, even without a big marketing team or even a website (other than a Facebook page), Oppurrtunities is making a difference in the adopt-a-cat world. Recently, this certified nonprofit reached a milestone of 800 adoptions. That makes its quick-to-smile president, retired junior high teacher Elizabeth Chavez, have even more reasons to smile.
Chavez Checks The Cages That House Cats Up For Adoption At Oppurrtunities In Costa Mesa.
She laughs when noting that what sets Oppurrtunities apart from similar cat adoption groups is that they’re “not crazy.”
“We try to think of ourselves as not having a lot of politics and drama,” Chavez said. “I hate drama.”
Bolstered by a strong group of volunteers who oversee the PetSmart room, they get the cats out of their cages three times a day. The ones that aren’t in the store are in foster homes.
This being sociable Costa Mesa and all, visitors develop friendships with the volunteers.
“They chat, brush kitties and clean a little while they’re there,” Chavez said. “They keep returning. So people who adopt, people who volunteer, people who foster and people who just want to visit the cat room develop this special camaraderie. The opportunities at Oppurrtunities are clearly not all for the cats. I didn’t expect that when we established our rescue.”
Photo: Bradley Zint
Oppurrtunities keeps its executive structure all in the family.
Below Chavez’s presidency is her daughter (vice president), husband (treasurer) and son-in-law (secretary).
“Done!” she says, after rattling off the four-person board roster. Meetings are over dinner.
I Heart Costa Mesa made a recent visit to the West 17th Street PetSmart to meet Chavez and see the felines scurry about. Many were kittens. Oppurrtunities does all the legwork owners would want in having a great cat. They’ll already be spayed or neutered, tested for feline leukemia and FIV, and be current on shots.
The nonprofit scored the PetSmart space based on Chavez knowing its manager about four years ago. The company gives Oppurrtunities the space for free and also provides some food, litter and supplies. Costa Mesa Animal Hospital, down the road along East 17th Street, gives Oppurrtunities discounts and teaches the members more about cats.
Some of its felines are strays. Others were surrendered by their owners. A few come from shelters. When I Heart Costa Mesa visited, Oppurrtunities had a roster of about 40 felines, including Chavez’s favorite, Bandit. She bottle fed him before he went to an owner who eventually gave him back. Now Bandit is ready for a new home.
Photo: Bradley Zint
Adopting a cat from Oppurrtunities is pretty straightforward. They don’t do “home checks,” keeping it simple by talking to potential cat adopters.
“If you talk to people for awhile, they’ll tell you things you want to know,” Chavez said, stressing that they do want the adopted cats to remain indoors and safe from dangers like coyotes.
Chavez, a Costa Mesa resident of some 30 years, thinks of herself as a very sensible cat lady. Her household has three — “which is a very reasonable amount” — and two others that are up for adoption but are unlikely to be.
She loves how cats are resourceful animals.
“I just think I like their independent nature,” Chavez adds, “their intelligence, their grace. And they’re funny!”
Photo: Bradley Zint
She loves being in Costa Mesa, particularly its diversity.
“I really notice when I go to other places that they are so, well, bland by comparison,” Chavez said. Many great people from all walks of life come by this little nonprofit. The volunteer base is diverse, too.
“We may be quite different from one another, by ethnicity or religion, but with the common goal of caring for the cats. We don’t just meet one another but become friends,” Chavez said. “I think Costa Mesans tend to be an outgoing and a friendlier-than-other-communities bunch, especially for a city of our size. They come in and adopt, and then in a couple of weeks they stop by and let us know how their new little family member is doing. They show us lots of pictures. This goes on for years. It’s very satisfying to get that kind of feedback.”
Being a Costa Mesa cat person has another distinct advantage too.
“What I also really, really love is that ocean breeze that wafts across my upstairs every afternoon,” Chavez said. “Perfect after a morning of scooping litter boxes.” ♥
