Our solution was inspired by L.A.’s taco truck phenomenon. Taco vendors get to more Angelenos using modified trucks—could we do the same?

The answer to this question was the “Catty Wagon” —a taco truck turned into a fully functional, fully mobile cat adoption and retail experience. The Catty Wagon had ears, a tail, and a knack for being at the hottest farmers’ markets, festivals and street fairs. Passersby could play with the kittens, take one home, and even buy all the items they needed to get them started.

Our agency was responsible for the concept, design and final graphics of the Catty Wagon. The entire creative process was just a couple of weeks, with construction of the custom truck spanning another 4 months.

The Catty Wagon punches way above its square footage. In fact, it generates as many adoptions per day as an Adopt & Shop center, minus the overhead. This is huge, especially during “kitten season” when thousands of homeless cats flood shelters.

As a bonus, the Wagon immediately attracted attention from news networks who liked its visual appeal and feel-good story. In short time, this coverage had earned Found Animals over 50 million in reach, with an estimated media value of $391,898. For a non-profit that thrives on public awareness, this taco-truck-turned-kitty was a big win.

Through clever innovation and whimsical design, The Catty Wagon brought Adopt & Shop’s fun, modern personality and warm, pet-crazed experience to tens of thousands of people who would never visit their brick-and-mortar locations.

The Catty Wagon effectively allowed Adopt & Shop to expand their footprint all over L.A. without ever breaking ground. We could be where the crowds were gathering, where celebrities were Instagraming and , more importantly, where families were hanging out together and able to make adoption decisions in the moment.

Found Animals isn’t like other pet non-profits. More than bleeding hearts, they’re driven innovators who created the world’s first free pet microchip registry and built Adopt & Shop centers that use pet retail sales to fund adoptions.

Unfortunately, Found Animals is just like other pet non-profits in one important way: they struggle to get foot traffic into their two little adoption centers. In a city as sprawled-out as L.A., this is a real challenge.