Dance music’s most notable cat lover, deadmau5, has donated $30,000 to help 27 rescue cats.
On May 27, the Humane Society of Oakville, Milton & Halton, located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, posted that it has just rescued 27 cats from a nearby household. Ranging from three months to three years old, none of the animals had ever been seen by a veterinarian. The organization asked the community to help raise $30,000 to cover the cost of intake exams, vaccinations, spaying or neutering surgery, microchipping and ongoing care to prepare them for adoption.
In the comments section, deadmau5 — who does charitable work with the Toronto Humane Society and has three rescue cats of his own — swooped in a few days later and simply wrote, “I got you!”
“We’ve had many memorable moments at the shelter, but opening Instagram to find a message from deadmau5 was definitely one we didn’t see coming,” HSOMH executive director Jeff Vallentin tells Billboard in a statement. “We’re incredibly grateful for his generosity and, just as importantly, for the awareness he’s brought to our shelter and the animals in our care. It’s a rare and meaningful thing when someone with such a large platform chooses to shine a light on animal welfare and help more people understand the work we do every day.”
The goodwill continued when the producer posted, “Help me name 27 cats! And then find them forever homes,” on his Instagram Stories Monday (June 8) with a link to a page where fellow cat enthusiasts can suggest names, noting that these suggested names will eventually be voted on.
Vallentin says the support provided by deadmau5 “will make a real difference for these cats and kittens, but the conversations and engagement that followed have been just as valuable. We’re especially excited that deadmau5 invited his fans to help name the 27 cats and kittens. It’s a fun way to bring people into their stories and we can’t wait to see what names they come up with.”
Though the Grammy-nominated musician took action to help the nearly 30 cats in late May, his charitable work with the feline world doesn’t end there. Deadmau5 launched his Reverb Shop on June 2 — coinciding with Adopt a Shelter Cat Month — featuring music gear, tour posters, merch and more. A portion of the proceeds will benefit no-kill non-profit rescue organization Toronto Cat Rescue.
