Current Programs:
Cat Adoption: When a cat or kitten ends up at the Sanctuary, the ultimate goal is to get them adopted into a safe, caring, loving, forever home. When an adult cat or kitten is ready for adoption, their photos and descriptions will be placed on our Facebook and Instagram pages by our social media manager. This information will also be listed in adoption networks in Puerto Rico and in the US mainland. We make it as easy as possible to adopt a cat or kitten from Puerto Rico. An adoption form is filled out by the potential adopters, then each adopter is screened (through interviews and videos of their home) to ensure a safe and appropriate home for the adoptee. Specific airlines are amenable to cat travel when the cat is in an approved animal carrier. The carrier is placed under the seat and the cat remains with its human companion for the entire flight. The Sanctuary partners with the network Flight Angels, an animal rescue group who matches volunteers who are traveling off island with animals who need to travel to the mainland. The Sanctuary also has a network of “travel buddies” who frequently fly to the mainland. Prior to incorporation as a nonprofit organization, in 2022 alone, Ingrid and Sue found forever homes for twelve cats. The Sanctuary hopes to grow our forever home adoptions to fifty or more cats and kittens yearly.
Trap, Neuter, return (TNR): At the Sanctuary, one of the founders, Ingrid Klich is currently able to perform this TNR program on a small scale (2-3 cats/month). As we grow, we will be able to enlist and educate more volunteers in TNR and feral cat colony care. TNR is proven to be the best method of feral cat population control, preventing the birth of unwanted kittens. If a homeless female cat has not been spayed, she can produce three to four litters in one year with an average of four to six kittens per litter. Over a seven-year period, one unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce almost 5,000 kittens! TNR involves humanely trapping the adult cats, getting them spayed or neutered, ear tipped, and vaccinated, and then returning them back to their environment. Ear tipping is done by a veterinarian after surgery in order to identify that a cat has been spay/neutered. This prevents redundant trapping of feral cats. Our goal is to trap 6-8 cats per week until the local cat colony has been fully neutered/spayed and vaccinated. Our plan for a strong TNR program is imperative to a successful reduction in hunger, overpopulation and cat illness in feral cat colonies. We will also form a group on social media to list and discuss the feral cat colonies in the area with other non-profit TNR agencies so we can work together to focus on reducing the cat population through a strong TNR program. Community support will lead to a tremendous reduction in the feral cat population and a healthier feral cat population. TNR as a means of reducing feral feline overpopulation is endorsed by numerous well-respected animal welfare organizations including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Humane Society of the United States, and the National Animal Control Association.
Neonatal kitten care is a specialized program for motherless kittens, provided by one of the founders and Board member Sue Westfry, Treasurer. If, for some reason, a mother cat is unable to care for her young kittens, these kittens become abandoned and left to die. At this time, we are able to feed and house five neonatal kittens at a time but with increased donations, grant money, and more volunteers who have been trained in neonatal care by Sue, the Sanctuary hopes to increase that number to ten neonatal kittens at a time. The Sanctuary provides neonatal care including nutrient dense prescription based kitten formula and incubation as needed. Neonatal care entails bottle feedings three times a night and throughout the day every two hours. This is a labor of love. When appropriate, nutritional solid foods will be introduced. The average cost of caring for a motherless kitten for its first eight weeks of life is $650. When the kittens are ready (approximately 3-4 months old) they are spay/neutered and vaccinated, and listed as adoptable pets on our social media pages and adoption networks.
Public Education and Community Outreach: The Sanctuary provides community outreach through local veterinarians and through our website regarding fully paid spay/neutering vouchers that are available to qualifying families for whom the cost of spay/neutering their pet(s) is out of reach. The average cost in Rincon, PR to sterilize a cat is $100 per male and $125 per female. Vaccinations are an additional $60 per cat. Because we are a new nonprofit, the Sanctuary is unable to offer vouchers at this time; in the future, we hope to offer 2-3 vouchers/month, and as we grow, our goal is to provide 8-10 vouchers per month. We will be able to partner with local veterinarian practices to secure spay/neuter procedure dates and prices and best prices for other medical care. The local veterinarians are not in any way associated with family or friends of the Sanctuary, they are selected solely based on skill, cost, and availability. The Sanctuary has outlined a plan for public education and community outreach through Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Board members and volunteers Carmen Blaufuss and Demaris Gonzalez Bonilla, Vice Presidents, will lead in person education at the Sanctuary and YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram videos in both Spanish and English.
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