This Valentine’s Day, some of our Happy Paws Happy Hearts (HPHH) participants chose a special Ginger Tabby to receive some extra-special love and care.

Meet Bert, a six-year-old Tabby in care at RSPCA Qld’s Brisbane Animal Care Campus! Bert’s profile affectionally describes him as larger than life, full of curiosity, and very deserving of a little extra love. With Valentine’s Day approaching, the RSPCA Qld Animal Attendant team discussed doing something special for Bert, in the hope it might help draw hearts (and eyes) his way as he waits for his forever family.

Enter our Happy Paws Happy Hearts participants. 💌

Across a few sessions, participants put on their creative hats to design a hand-made Valentine’s “kissing booth” for Bert’s enclosure which is on display to the public through the Black Cat Cafe at the Wacol campus.

Complete with painted love hearts, garlands and a carefully chosen orange and red palette inspired by Bert himself, every detail was participant-led and created in consultation with the Animal Attendants to ensure it supported Bert’s wellbeing, enrichment and natural curiosity.

The result? A space that invited Bert to explore, perch, paw, bunt and connect with the community through his encloser; and he is truly delivering moments of pure joy as he interacts with the display, made specially for him.

For participants, this experience was about more than Valentine’s Day—it was about giving. The activity sparked creativity and collaboration, while encouraging fine and gross motor skills, planning and teamwork, all in service of bringing comfort, enrichment and love to an animal in care. Moments like these reflect the heart of many HPHH sessions, where participants play an active role in enriching the lives of the shelter animals who bring them so much joy each week. They also foster connection between participants, as each person finds a unique sense of purpose in knowing that something they created helped make an animal’s time in care (in this case, Bert’s) shine a little brighter.

We’re so grateful to the RSPCA Qld Animal Attendants team for welcoming our participants to participate in moments like this, and for the incredible care they provide every day, creating space for partnerships that put animals first.

While Valentine’s Day may come once a year, the heart our participants bring to animals lasts well beyond it. 💗