Our Adoption Center

In 1982, VIVA founder Shirley Cram began keeping cats in the hardware store that she and her husband owned. In 1985, when cats outnumbered power tools, VIVA rented a house on North G Street in Lompoc. The front of the house served as a thrift store to support shelter operations, and the back of the house was a cattery. VIVA dogs were brought to the location every Saturday for adoption days. Seeking additional space, VIVA rented a building on North H Street to serve as the thrift store in 1992, and the cats remained behind. Unfortunately, we lost the lease on the building that served as our cattery soon thereafter.

It seemed like an impossible task to find a new location and move over one hundred cats, but that's just what VIVA volunteers did. Thanks to the generousity of our donors, we were able to purchase the property at our current location on North D Street, and dedicated volunteers packed up and moved three blocks, cat by cat.

Our adoption center is a cat-friendly, cage-free environment. Although we do have some cages that we use to quarantine incoming or sick cats, all other cats are free to roam within their assigned rooms. We have one room for cats we are boarding while their people are away, another for senior cats, and yet another for kittens. The remaining rooms are populated by healthy, adoptable adult cats. Most of our rooms have enclosed patios so cats can safely view the world outside. One of our patios even has a bird feeder for their viewing pleasure.

Please come visit our adoption center and take home a new friend.