Scratching posts, baskets, free beds. Janette DeLoach offers the Cat Lounge, where cats can fully enjoy the comfort and tranquility of the space.

In this traveling cat lounge, the former veterinarian roams the streets of Polk County, Florida, helping her little suspect find a loving family.

In this modified camper van, visitors pay to spend time with the cats that Janette DeLoach collects and cares for. And when the connection is made, they can adopt them.

For young women, it’s a relaxed and intimate way to “spend time with cats and see if they’re interested in adopting them. You can go to cafes, breweries, and farmers’ markets. I made it mobile.”

This project, called Botany Cat, started in February 2022. Since then, she says she’s been called three to four times a week about stray cats found in the yard.

She takes care of them, gives them vaccinations and contraceptive neutering surgeries, and places them in her camper for adoption.

Janette DeLoach hopes to help fight the problem of shelter overpopulation and the overpopulation of stray cats, thereby reducing the need for euthanasia in her county.

On average, 146 cats are euthanized each month, according to the Polk’s Animal Care Department. Municipalities aim to achieve the “zero euthanasia” goal by 2025.

To achieve this, they work with 160 animal protection groups. “When [the cats] choose their person, they become brighter, play more, and rub up against them,” explains Janette DeLoach. “It’s enriching and very moving.”