Meet Primrose—or “Primi” to her closest friends—a one-and-a-half-year-old tabby with a sleek striped coat, striking green eyes, and a personality that’s much bigger than her size.
Primrose came to Nine Lives from the Merced SPCA in early January and has been waiting more than six months to find her forever home. She’s currently our longest-stay resident, but we know the right home is out there for her.
Like some cats, Primrose finds the bustling shelter environment overwhelming. But her time with foster families has shown that once she feels safe and comfortable, her affectionate, social personality begins to bloom.
Whether you’re answering emails, cooking dinner, or unwinding on the couch, Primrose insists on being your right-hand gal. She’ll happily chat throughout the day, curl up on your lap while you work, and even settle in beside the dinner table just to keep you company. More than anything, she just wants to be part of the family.
Because a quiet home is where Primrose truly shines, she’s available through our foster-to-adopt program. It gives you the chance to get to know her in the comfort of your own home before making things official.
Primrose has so much love, companionship, and personality to offer. She just needs someone willing to give her the chance to show it. Could that someone be you?
Is your cat ready for the spotlight? Our 2027 Calendar Photo Fundraiser is officially open for submissions through July 31, and your fabulous feline could be our Cover Cat or a featured Cat of the Month!
Simply upload your favorite photo to our fundraising site, then rally your biggest fans—family, friends, coworkers, and social media followers—to vote and help make your cat a star! The entry with the most votes will earn the coveted cover spot on the Nine Lives 2027 Calendar.
Every photo will be featured somewhere in the calendar, so every cat gets the chance to shine.
Each entry is a $35 donation and includes one vote plus a complimentary copy of the 2027 calendar. Additional votes are just $1 each, and you can vote as often as you like—every vote brings your cat one step closer to becoming our Cover Cat!
Best of all, your participation helps us save homeless cats and kittens while supporting low‑cost spay/neuter services for pets in our community.
Nine Lives proudly made its debut at the 2026 San Francisco Pride Parade, joining one of the world’s largest celebrations of love, inclusion, and community.
More than 50 staff members, volunteers, friends, and family came together to represent our mission with a colorful float, music, and plenty of cat-themed spirit. A special thank you to DJ Mike Goode for generously volunteering his time and helping keep the energy high throughout the parade.
The Nine Lives team at SF Pride 2026
As millions celebrated along the parade route, our team introduced countless new supporters to Nine Lives and our lifesaving work. The incredible energy and warm reception reminded us that compassion—for both people and animals—brings communities together.
Thank you to every volunteer, staff member, family member, and friend who helped make our first SF Pride an unforgettable success.
You made history for Nine Lives, and we can’t wait to be back even bigger next year!
A Lifesaving Milestone
We’re proud to share that Best Friends Animal Society has once again awarded Nine Lives No-Kill Certification for 2025. This recognition is given to shelters that maintain at least a 90% save rate, and we exceeded that benchmark with an outstanding 97% save rate.
This milestone reflects the heart of our mission. Every day, our team cares for sick, injured, and orphaned cats, giving each one the compassion, care, and time they need to find loving homes.
Because we welcome some of the community’s most vulnerable cats, including those who are critically ill, some lives cannot be saved despite every effort. In those heartbreaking cases, we provide compassionate end-of-life care to ensure every cat is treated with dignity.
This recognition belongs to everyone who makes our work possible: our staff, volunteers, foster families, adopters, and supporters. Thank you for helping us give more cats the second chances they deserve.
Liam’s Corner
When we first moved into our new Furever Home, I remember saying the same thing to our team over and over again: “Just because we have twice the space doesn’t mean we have to fill every room on day one.”
The idea was simple. We would grow into the building gradually, adding staff and expanding our programs as the need arose.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. It didn’t take long to realize that when a cat needs help, our team is always going to find a way to say yes.
Today, it’s not unusual for us to have more than 150 cats and kittens in our care at one time—each with their own story, medical needs, and path to adoption. That doesn’t even include the hundreds more growing and recovering in our incredible foster homes.
The reality is that the need across California continues to grow. We didn’t plan to grow this quickly—but the cats needed us to.
The Winnie the Pooh litter arrived three weeks ago
Every week, we’re rescuing more orphaned kittens, accepting more transfers from overcrowded shelters, treating more complex medical cases, and receiving more calls for help than ever before.
We’ve seen that same growth in our veterinary programs, too. Last month, our medical team reached a milestone I honestly never imagined we’d see: 1,000 spay and neuter surgeries in a single month. I’m proud of that number, but I’m even prouder of what it represents: healthier cats and fewer unwanted litters.
Celebrating 1,000 surgeries (and the World Cup!)
Saving this many lives is expensive. Food. Medication. Surgery. Diagnostics. Foster supplies. Enrichment. It all adds up quickly, and kitten season is far from over.
If you’ve ever thought about helping Nine Lives, we’d love to have you join us. Whether you make a donation, volunteer your time, or simply help us spread the word about adoption, every act of support helps us say yes to the next cat who needs us.
Looking back, I’m glad we didn’t leave those rooms empty for long. Today, they’re filled with second chances. Thank you to our staff, volunteers, foster families, adopters, and supporters for making that possible.
