We've accomplished what we could never have dreamed of when we first started in 2001 with a dozen animals in a room in a borrowed barn. We've built our own facility on land leased from the municipality. It holds about the same number of animals, maybe a few more. We still have to turn animals away every day and that breaks our hearts. As a shelter specializing in last-chance animals, we fear for the fate of animals we can't take. We know that if they had the time and care we could give them, most of them would recover their health and trust and go on to new homes.
So we're not done. We dream of one day owning property where we can house as many animals as we can find volunteers and funds to care for. We envision several communal rooms for smaller groups of cats, rooms that provide for good hygiene while meeting the cats' need to play or perch, and sunbathe on enclosed porches. We envision covered, enclosed habitats for bunnies that allow them space to move around and nests where they can sleep, warm and safe. We dream of an on-site veterinary clinic and a room for seminars and workshops so we can host groups from the community. It is only through education that we can change the attitudes and beliefs that have negatively affected animals within society. People would find a place that welcomes them for whatever they can contribute: sewing, gardening, cleaning, grooming or cuddling. (The cuddling function is not to be underestimated. Homeless animals are starved for affection, and loving interaction nourishes the soul of both human and animal.) We dream of a large shelter that would feel like home to all who live or work there.
We never thought that Katie's Place could become the institution it has. But we look at what we and our supporters have built and we feel in our hearts that a large shelter is in the future for us one day -- a shelter that has room for all the small souls who desperately need refuge.
While we plan for the future we must still attend to daily needs too. We need several things for their daily care.
At the top of our list of needs is:
NB - Katie's Place does not solicit donations door to door.