About Us
Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic is a 'Limited Admission, No-Kill Shelter'. This means that because we keep every kitty until it finds its forever home, we have to limit how many come in due to space and financial restrictions.
We hope to someday in the future be able to operate as an 'Open Admission, No-Kill Shelter'.
It is also important to know that No-Kill does not mean that we NEVER euthanize animals.
If a cat is ill and suffering, we will humanely euthanize it.
We are 100% committed to every cat that comes to our shelter, and will do our best to
make sure it goes to the perfect home. If for any reason an adopter cannot keep the kitty
they adopted from us, we will always take it back.
Our Mission Statement
Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic is dedicated to the well-being of all cats and dogs in our community with emphasis on preventing pet overpopulation and on the sheltering and placement of surrendered or abandoned cats into loving, permanent homes.
In the Beginning
It all started with
17 cats, two veterinary technicians, and 450 square ft.
of room. From these ingredients, the Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic was born on June 1, 2006.
The original 17 cats
came from another animal rescue group that didn't
have the means to care for them. The fear of those
cats going to the Humane Society and being
euthanized, forced Sarah Swanty & Anna Neubauer to
finally act on their dream of opening a no-kill
cat rescue. With a background in the veterinary
field, and the support of South Mesa Veterinary
Hospital, the two women were able to provide the
necessary care for the kitties while they waited for
adopters.
In no time at all, the word about
the no-kill cat rescue spread, and calls started
pouring in for cats that needed help. When one
cat would get adopted, another would be moved into
the shelter immediately. Kittens started
arriving in bundles, and a foster program was
immediately started. (The foster program
consisted mainly of Sarah and Anna and their
friends.)
The cat rescue
quickly turned into a 40 hour/week job, on top of
the full time jobs both women already had at South
Mesa Vet Hospital.
Luckily this
incredible community provided tons of support, and
on September 1st, just three months after starting,
the shelter moved into a facility almost twice as
big. They were now able to have 30 cats in the
shelter at a time.
A small group of
fabulous people became volunteers and helped to keep
the shelter running while Sarah and Anna were at
work.
The exciting day
finally came when Sarah & Anna realized that the
shelter had enough support, and that there was so
much work to do, that they would have to have the
rescue as their full time jobs.
Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic now operates the only truly low-cost spay/neuter
clinic in the area. The
numbers of unwanted pets that will be prevented from
entering this world brings an entirely new sense of
satisfaction to all of the people involved.
Where We Are Now
The Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic are having a big impact on the community.
Over 4,900 cats have been rescued. Over 22,700 surgeries have been performed at the clinic on dogs and cats.
The rescue has moved into a bigger and better facility with more space for both the cats and the
humans that serve them. Both the clinic and the shelter have joined the ranks of non-profits
that have paid employees - an amazing accomplishment in such a short period of time. And of course,
an army of volunteers do fundraising and community outreach along with the mandatory kitty petting.
Some of the community outreach that the rescue and clinic have been involved in include providing
dry cat food for those who are struggling to feed their pets, working with the local trailer parks
to trap-neuter-release the feral kitties there, and taking in abandoned animals from homes that have
been foreclosed.
None of this could have been accomplished without the support of the local community.
The huge success of the Winter Fundraiser and the amazing donations that occurred around that are
testimony to how Fort Collins and the surrounding area have embraced our mission.
Thank you!