Deadmau5 Drops $30K to Help Rescue Cats, Then Asks Fans to Name Them

Ontario needed a hero, and fate, in its infinite wisdom, sent them a man who performs under a mouse costume.Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 Iconic Canadian electronic music producer deadmau5 has fully funded a rescue effort for 27 cats pulled from a single household after the Humane Society of Oakville, Milton & Halton posted a late-May appeal explaining that the animals ranged from three months to three years old and had never received veterinary care.

The organization launched a fundraising push to cover spay and neuter surgeries, intake exams, vaccinations, microchipping and ongoing care before the animals could be placed for adoption.A few days after the post went live, deadmau5, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, showed up in the comments with four words: “I got you.” The move surprised even the shelter’s leadership.

“We’ve had many memorable moments at the shelter, but opening Instagram to find a message from deadmau5 was definitely one we didn’t see coming,” Jeff Vallentin, the nonprofit’s Executive Director, told Billboard.“We’re incredibly grateful for his generosity and, just as importantly, for the awareness he’s brought to our shelter and the animals in our care.

It’s a rare and meaningful thing when someone with such a large platform chooses to shine a light on animal welfare and help more people understand the work we do every day.” Zimmerman, who volunteers with the Toronto Humane Society and has three rescue cats of his own, wired the full $30,000 ask without hesitation.And he didn’t stop there, posting to his Instagram Stories to ask fans for help naming all 27 cats and linking a Patreon page where submissions are being collected for a community vote.

Last year, Zimmerman released Meowingtons Simulator, a tribute to his late cat of the same name, who passed away in August 2023.Developed under his own Oberha5li Studios banner and power...