LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Hearts Alive Village is a local charity that started 10 years ago when Christy Stevens' then 10-year-old daughter was inspired to help animals in need. For their tireless work to help pets and pet owners, Findlay Automotive Group recognized Hearts Alive Village as the Vegas Stronger Champion for May 2023.
Inside a strip mall near Rainbow Boulevard and Oakey Boulevard in Las Vegas, people enjoy the cat-friendly confines of the Hearts Alive Village Cat Cafe each weekday from noon to 8:00 p.m. For a $15 donation they can enjoy snacks, drinks, a quiet place to read and relax, and also support the mission of Hearts Alive Village while interacting with cats that are up for adoption.
If they choose to adopt a cat, the money goes directly to their adoption fees.
Christy Stevens, executive director of Hearts Alive Village, said the cats that roam the Cat Cafe "are on their best behavior because they're not in a kennel and they get to really interact with people and they bond and it is beautiful."
Many of these interactions lead to adoptions. Hearts Alive Village averages about 1,500 adoptions annually but with a second location in Henderson and a partnership with PetSmart, they're hopeful that number may approach 3,000 this year.
The two main reasons that pets are surrendered to local shelters are lack of resources, like food and supplies like kitty litter, alongside the steep cost of veterinary care. To help battle those factors, Hearts Alive Village runs a pet food pantry and in 2020, they opened Nevada's first non-profit, full-service veterinary hospital and are expecting to go from three to four full-time veterinarians by the end of this summer.
"We work very hard to help people subsidize their vet care with grants," Stevens said. "We work very hard to make sure that families stay together. Most times, families only need one intervention, one medical intervention, to keep their pet and it's so important to us to avoid the shelter if we can."
Hearts Alive Village also runs a pet help hotline and anyone can call 702-496-0705 for help with pet-related issues.
"If they need help re-homing, if they're struggling to find pet-friendly housing, if they need pet food, if they need medical attention," Stevens explained. "Sometimes we can't help everybody with our resources but we have other places where we can point them in a direction and give them a lead for things. So it's just a nice place to be able to call and get some answers."
For their tireless work to help pets and pet owners, Jeff Giles of Findlay Automotive Group recognized Hearts Alive Village as the Vegas Stronger Champion for May 2023.
"We love what you are doing for people in the community and for people who are struggling as pet owners and not having the resources that they need," Giles told Stevens. "All the pets that you're getting adopted is amazing and we appreciate what you're doing and we just wanted to highlight you."
More information about adoptions, the pet food pantry, the pet help hotline, and other resources can be found at HeartsAliveVillage.org.
