A new purpose-built enclosure at Bush's Produce Store on Williamson Street hopes to lead to more cat adoptions in Bendigo, a local not-for-profit organisation says.
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Furever Friends Bendigo, which help to find foster homes for rescued cats and dogs, started talks with the store about a year ago with the idea of opening up a permanent enclosure.
The idea was to complement the group's Facebook page and encourage people to interact face-to-face with the animal they were interested in adopting, Furever Friends' Jess Woodford said.
Furever Friends' Fran Heavyside said the group had about 40 cats fostered out to families at the moment, of which about half were up for adoption.
All cats are vet checked, vaccinated, wormed, microchipped and de-sexed.
A starter pack will also be available to those who adopt.
With the new enclosure designed to house about five or so at a time, the cats will be rotated on a weekly basis.
Ms Heavyside said the aim was to give the Furever Friends cats the best possible chance of finding a new home, and it was the first kind of enclosure for adoption cats in Bendigo.
"It's all about getting our name out there so people know we have cats up for adoption," she said.
The permanent enclosure officially opens to the public on Saturday to coincide with Bush's spring open day, which will start at 9am and include a barbecue, a petting zoo for children as well as a temporary enclosure for puppies up for adoption outside.
Bush's Produce Store have a history of being friendly to felines, with its store cat of 10 years, Tiger, even famously reappearing after going missing earlier this year.
Store manager Peter Ward said the store was happy to support the Furever Friends cause by opening the cat enclosure and encouraged people to attend the store's spring open day.
"We hope to see you all here for the big day," he said.
For information about Furever Friends, visit its Facebook page, Furever Friends Bendigo Inc.
