Cool Cars for Cats puts the fun in fundraising

11/4/2026

At car shows in Des Moines, most vehicles offer a description including how the owners obtained or rebuilt the car and the model specifics, among other factors.

In the Cool Cars for Cats show, the car owners post specs of their rides, and several display pictures of their cats next to an open hood.

Cool Cars for Cats is a fundraiser for Pet Project Midwest, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping pets with their owners by providing pet food to Des Moines area residents struggling to meet the needs of their pets. It started when Meals on Wheels volunteers noticed people were feeding their pets human food.

During the Cool Cars event, more than 80 cars showed up, raising $5,000 and collecting 807 pounds of pet food and cat litter. Several car and cat owners explain more about their involvement with Pet Project. 

 

Black cats provide emotional support

Jason and Faith Hamer are professed dog and cat lovers. Jason’s cat is like an emotional support animal, providing care when he feels overwhelmed. 

The Hamers have two black cats: Tuna, 8, and Shadow, 6. They displayed pictures of their cats underneath the hood of their blue Ford Mustang.

Jason is passionate about making sure all cats are taken care of. 

“It breaks my heart if cats don’t have food. If I had to choose between not feeding my cats or myself, I’d choose myself,” he said.
Faith likes how their cats are friendly. 

“Having black cats, they like to sit next to us and pass out candy for trick or treaters,” she said.

 

Sassy and Luna

Michelle and Clynt Coburn of Waukee attend numerous car shows with their vehicles, including a 2017 Chevy Camaro. Attending the Cool Cars is one of their favorite shows, as the couple has two cats.

Sassy, a Siamese, and Luna, a mixed breed, are typical cats. 

“They’ll meet you at the door. Or they won’t. They come and love you when they want,” Clynt said.

Michelle says the cats each have their own personalities. 

“They are spoiled. I work from home, and Luna is always in my office,” she said. 

The Coburns have the latest gear for their cats, including an electric litter box and an automatic feeder. As Clynt attends many car shows, he’s noticed a trend. 

“A lot of the car guys tend to have more cats than they do dogs,” he said. 

He likes how several car shows benefit charities in the community. 

“Cool Cats is our favorite. We like how people show up, bring their cars and help out pets. Providing pets with food, we’re all about helping them out,” he said. 

Pet Project is offering pet photos with Santa at Bone-A-Patreat locations at various dates in November. A $25 donation gets a photo with your pet and Santa Claus, benefitting the Pet Project. For more information, visit www.thepetprojectmidwest.org/events/. ♦

Jackie Wilson has written hundreds of articles for CITYVIEW and the Iowa Living magazines. She covers ordinary people living extraordinary lives.