This is a series of diaries highlighting animal rescues around the country and noting and celebrating the work they do to help animals who have no voices but ours to speak for them. I have decided to make this a daily series because there are so many wonderful rescues out there who need human help and weekly just doesn't seem to be enough. I have long wanted to start a rescue but lack the resources or time available to do so right now so this is my attempt to do my part. I hope that these rescues will benefit from the kindness and benevolence of the community here at Daily Kos. They are amazing organizations and worthy of Kossack attention and care. I wrote this poem for the Climate Change blogathon and I think it applies here. This rescue was suggested by
Hannelore.
I am here
I am alive
I am all around you
I have no voice
I am in your trees
I am in your air
I am in your fields
I am in your oceans
I am in your world
I have no voice
I am a mother
I am a father
I am a protector
I am a soul
I have no voice
I can walk
I can crawl
I can sing
I can fear
I have no voice
You must be my voice
Goathouse Refuge
The Goathouse Refuge Mission
Caring for Cats: What we do at the Goathouse Refuge
There aren’t many places in today’s world that offer ongoing, unconditional care to animals in need, but that’s exactly what we provide at the Goathouse Refuge. We are a cat sanctuary, a place where cats that have been abandoned or lost can be safe and warm and happy, where cats who have had to live at the margins of the modern world can find a place where they are welcome.
Our goal is to connect every animal with a loving family who wants to share their life with a wonderful feline companion. Typically, 10-20 cats are adopted every month from our facility, and since we keep all of our cats up to date on their vaccinations and check-ups and make sure they lead interactive, social lives, adoptions from Goathouse Refuge are easy and effective.
Unfortunately, not every cat is destined to be a typical pet. Some have medical issues that require daily care; some grew up as feral cats and don’t have the disposition for domestic life; and sometimes, there just aren’t enough homes to go around. But Siglinda Scarpa, who founded Goathouse Refuge seven years ago, believes every cat has the right to a life free from both danger and indifference. This is the philosophy we operate by at Goathouse Refuge, a no-kill shelter that serves two important roles: a stopover for cats on their way to permanent homes, and a permanent shelter for cats that just need a place they can call their own.
That’s what we do at Goathouse Refuge. We think it’s worthwhile work. We hope you think so, too.
The website is here
You can donate here
Adoption info is here
Meet Our Founder, Siglinda Scarpa
My name is Siglinda Scarpa, founder and primary benefactor of The Goathouse Refuge, a cat sanctuary. I thought you might like to know how the Refuge came to be and what the future holds for it.
When I was a little girl my father, who sometimes worked late at night, came home with a little gray tabby cat wet and cold and put him under the blankets in my bed. I warmed him up and kept him on my heart until he started purring and for the rest of the night. There was where he slept for the rest of his life. I called him Muci.
He’d become sick when he was just about one year old and all my bicycle trips to the veterinarian didn’t save his life. He probably had distemper. The pain of his death was so devastating that I started to bring home and care for as many cats as my mother would allow me to bring into the apartment. I loved animals, especially cats, and many shared my life. Many are not here anymore, but I remember them all.
So I formulated a dream … a dream of a sanctuary for cats. This would be another chance; a safe haven for cats that were dispossessed or scheduled for euthanasia by public shelters. In my dream, no cat would be euthanized unless it was suffering with no hope of recovery. The Refuge would be a place where even cats that were unadoptable could live in comfort, with the care, attention and love they deserve. No cat would be refused due to age, illness or disposition. The ultimate goal for each cat would be adoption into a loving home. But the Refuge would be designed so that they could spend ample periods of time living comfortably, awaiting adoption. In fact, it would be designed so that a cat could spend years, or its entire lifetime, at the Refuge. This meant that the cats would be cage-free. Groups of cats would live in large rooms, where they could roam and play without restraint. And, of course, all of the cats would be given human attention and interaction, along with high-quality food and on-site medical care.
Happy Tails
Girasole
Hi All, Even though I’m a volunteer at the Refuge, I haven’t met many of you. So please pardon me for usng a kind of impersonal way to say something really personal: Thank You. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of all of the cats at the Refuge, but thank you, in particular, for making it possible for me to adopt Girasole.
Many of you will remember Girasole as a hissy, spitting, feral cat who cowered in the back of his cage with his ears flat against his skull. Others of you will remember that he was one of the most difficult cats to return to the cages at night: he’s fond of remote, hard to reach spots (the shelf above the sink, under piles of clay or supplies) and he has no trouble expressing just how much he does not like to be held. But to those of you who perservered with this cat — even if you barely remember which one he is — thank you. There’s no way that he would have become the unbelievably gorgeous, sweet tempered, and affectionate cat that he is today had he not had daily, attentive, loving care from all of you. If you ever wonder if what you’re doing makes a difference, simply check out the empty cage under Sergio. That’s where Girasole used to live (but now he lives with me!)All the best, Megan Valentine.
Some of the Adult Cats Available for Adoption
See the rest here
Some of the Kittens Available for Adoption
See the rest here
The Dog Connection
The Goathouse Refuge partners with nearby county shelters to include listings for dogs who are in need of foster and forever homes.
In the last few months, we’ve taken in two of them in who were in dire need of help because they were perfectly adoptable dogs who were scheduled to be euthanized, Cricket and Rebecca.
Even though we are primarily a cat refuge, we are always interested in the well being of animals who we can help. Cricket and Rebecca are two dogs who we could just not turn away from…
Shop
The proceeds from our sales go directly to support the cats and kittens here at the Goathouse Refuge. By purchasing items from our Shop, you are having a direct, positive impact on the life of a homeless cat. We thank you!
Siglinda Scarpa Pottery and Sculpture
Purchase Siglinda’s unique pottery online and know that you are supporting homeless cats and kittens with any and every purchase. Ninety percent of the price of pottery purchases goes to support the cats and kittens at the Goathouse Refuge. View her work at her web site.