Since our inception in 2018, The Feline Connection (501(c)(3) has made significant strides in addressing the overwhelming challenge of homeless cats in Rutland, Vermont, and Eastern Washington, New York Counties. We’ve grown to facilitate over 325 adoptions annually, a testament to the dedication of our foster families and the generosity of our amazing support community. However, we recognize that our current foster-based model, while providing individualized care and low-stress environments for our feline friends, faces limitations in tackling the root causes of cat overpopulation and suffering. This blog post outlines The Feline Connection’s long-term vision for creating a sustainable and impactful future for feline welfare in our community.
The Challenges We Face:
Our area’s feline population faces numerous interconnected challenges: overwhelming numbers of homeless cats, frequent drop-offs at barns, abandoned & lost cats, uncontrolled breeding leading to exponential population growth, the spread of preventable diseases, and the unexpected difficulties cat owners face in changing circumstances. These issues demand a multivalent approach and long-term solutions.
Our Current Constraints:
Currently, The Feline Connection operates without a central facility, relying entirely on the kindness of foster families. This model, while beneficial in many ways, presents constraints: limited intake and medical facilities, dependence on the availability of external veterinary resources for spay/neuter clinics (thus restricting our surgical capacity), and the lack of a central hub for potential adopters to meet multiple cats. Furthermore, we lack dedicated space for long-term care, particularly for semi-socialized cats requiring extended rehabilitation. We are committed to the foster approach and our goal is to augment the work of our foster families with a central facility.
Our Vision: A Multi-Phased Approach
Our long-term vision is to create a multi-faceted resource center that addresses the immediate needs of homeless cats while proactively working to reduce their numbers and improve their overall well-being.
This vision unfolds in phases:
Phase 1: Mobile Surgical Unit:
Our immediate goal is to acquire and outfit a mobile surgical unit. This van or bus, equipped with a surgical suite and recovery area, will revolutionize our spay/neuter efforts. Imagine the impact of bringing a climate-controlled, sanitized surgical theater directly to locations with large cat populations, like barns. Coupled with a climate-controlled trailer for post-surgical recovery, this mobile unit will dramatically increase our capacity to perform these essential procedures. This unit will also serve as a mobile base for trapping efforts for surgical clinics performed by local public shelters and veterinarians, further supporting our TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs. The Feline Connection Board of Directors includes two veterinarians and one vet tech, who are very experienced and able to start immediately.
Phase 2: A Central Hub
Our near-term goal is to establish a small, strategically located building on a piece of land, allowing for future expansion. This facility will initially house:
- Intake and medical exam space.
- Isolation rooms for cats with viral, bacterial, and fungal infections; recovering from injuries; or undergoing evaluation.
- A medium-sized room for adoption events, meetings, training, and educational programs.
- Parking for the Mobile Surgical Unit
Phase 3: Expanding Our Reach and Services:
As we grow, we envision expanding our central facility to include dedicated space for medical care, other specialized medical needs and long-term indoor/outdoor sanctuary spaces for hard-to-adopt cats. We also aim to develop even stronger and broader partnerships with local veterinarians to ensure access to affordable and timely medical care for our cats. This phase will focus on solidifying our core operations and expanding our capacity to provide comprehensive care.
Phase 4: The Cat Café: A Community Hub:
Our long-term dream is to establish a cat café. This unique space would not only provide a welcoming environment for potential adopters to interact with our cats but also serve as a community hub for education and outreach. The café would provide an attractive area to facilitate cat adoption, and raise awareness about responsible pet ownership and the importance of spay/neuter.
Our Commitment:
At The Feline Connection, our commitment remains unwavering: to provide care for homeless cats so they can live their best lives. This vision, while ambitious, is achievable with the continued support of our community. We believe that by working together, we can create a future where every cat has a safe, loving home.
Realizing this ambitious vision requires significant investment. While we deeply appreciate the support of our current donors and the grants we have received, achieving our goals, particularly the acquisition and outfitting of the mobile surgical unit and establishing our central facility, necessitates substantial financial contributions. We seek individuals and organizations capable of making significant donations to partner with us in transforming feline welfare in our area. Your generous support, whether a major gift or a planned donation, will directly impact the lives of countless cats, enabling us to expand our reach, increase our spay/neuter capacity, and provide comprehensive care to those most in need. Please consider partnering with The Feline Connection to create a lasting legacy of compassion and change for the cats of our community. Contact us today to discuss how your generosity can help us build a brighter future for felines in Rutland County, Vermont, eastern Washington County, New York, and well beyond.
Contact us at info@thefelineconnection.org
