89 adoptions in one week — including the cat who waited seven months for her person

At the Richmond SPCA in Virginia, last week came with a soundtrack of carrier doors clicking shut: 89 cats and dogs went home with new families in a single week. The adoption everyone talked about was Pop Star, a three-year-old cat who arrived in March and became the shelter's longest-staying resident — seven months of watching other cats leave before her match finally walked in. Beatrice, a gentle seven-year-old dog who loves stuffed toys and back scratches, also ended a three-month wait. Staff keep a running celebration list of every name — Adeline, Admiral, Helsinki, Jeepers, Jelly Bean and dozens more — each one a kennel emptied and a couch claimed. Eighty-nine beginnings in seven days is what a community deciding to adopt looks like.

Mechanism: community action