How to start a cat sanctuary

Things You'll Need

  • Mission statement

  • Board of directors

  • Registered 501(c)(3) status

  • Sources of funding

  • Relationship with a veterinarian

  • Website

  • Policies and procedures for fosters

  • Volunteer handbook and volunteers

You love cats, and you want to help those in need. But starting a cat rescue takes more than a love of everything feline. To operate a rescue successfully, you’ll need business savvy and good organizational, accounting and marketing skills. You should be good at fundraising and know how to network effectively too.

Think about your community’s needs. You might be able to do more good by volunteering or fostering cats for an existing cat rescue.

Join rescue email lists and talk with other cat rescuers. Knowing what’s involved in running a cat rescue will help you decide whether you want to start one of your own.

Write a mission statement. Do you want to concentrate on trap/neuter/return? Will you rescue cats from kill shelters? Do you plan on having a network of foster homes or do you dream of opening a cat shelter? Knowing your mission and putting it in writing will help you stay focused and avoid burnout.

Invite people you know and trust to join your board of directors. They should be committed to your mission, enthusiastic and have the community connections necessary to help you with fundraising. Try to include an accountant, experienced grant writer and veterinarian or veterinary technician.

Register with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The forms you’ll need are on the IRS’s website. As a registered nonprofit, you’ll be able to apply for grants, and your donors will receive a tax deduction when they contribute to your cat rescue.

Investigate sources of funding. Ask local businesses to partner with you and research charitable foundations that give grants to groups with missions similar to yours.

Establish a relationship with a veterinarian who will give you a rescue discount and advise you on medical issues.

Create a website where you can list your adoption and intake policies and post your cats for adoption. Also register with such pet adoption websites as Petfinder.com and Adoptapet.com.

Establish policies and procedures for people who will foster cats for you.

Write a volunteer handbook and prepare a press release to use when recruiting volunteers and fosters. Also post your volunteer opportunities on such websites as VolunteerMatch.com. You’ll need volunteers to assist at adoption and fundraising events, photograph cats and post their pictures and stories online and write grant proposals. If you’re planning to have a shelter, you’ll also need volunteers to care for the cats.

Tips

  • Become a cat expert. Learn everything you can about cats’ physical and emotional needs. Always be diplomatic. Showing your anger with a person who wants to give up a cat will not help the cat and can sometimes make things worse. Recognize your limitations. Taking in more cats than your space and budget allow can harm the cats and could lead to legal problems for you.

How to start a cat sanctuary

For so many animal lovers, starting an animal rescue or sanctuary is on the list of things they most want to someday do. For my husband and I, this was something we really wanted to do now, with our young family, and not after we’d hit our retirement years. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been rewarding. For those of you who have this kind of dream on your bucket list, here are some tips on what you need to think about based on what we’ve learned along the way.

Over the past two decades, my husband and I have visited animal sanctuaries of all kinds, including those for pigs, donkeys, farm animals, and even baby elephants and non-human primates, and these experiences inspired us. To us, providing day-to-day care for rescued animals seemed like the most direct and rewarding way to help animals. I should mention that my husband is a veterinarian, and I am a policy analyst for an animal protection organization.

Four years ago, we along with our two children finally embarked upon our dream of having our own sanctuary. Although we love dogs and cats, what we most wanted to do was to provide lifetime retirement for farm animals. (Note: It’s important to have some experience with the type of animals you want to rescue or, if you don’t, make sure you educate yourself about their care and handling first.) We moved from our home in the New Jersey suburbs and bought a farm in semi-rural Pennsylvania. Since then, I have learned a few things that I had not thought about before. These are all things you’ll need to consider if you also aspire to have a rescue organization or sanctuary, whether for companion animals, farm animals or other types of creatures.

Our farm has been a farm for a very long time, so we did not need to acquire any permits that could have been needed if we were creating a new operation that involved maintaining a large number of animals or unique animals. Towns often have restrictions on the numbers and types of animals allowed on properties, so make sure you research this ahead of time. You may need to consult a legal advisor.

We are a sanctuary where animals come to live out their lives versus a rescue that adopts animals to the public. We knew that learning to say farewell to animals and simultaneously trusting people to take proper care of them would be very challenging for us, so we opted to offer forever homes to our rescues.

We have children, companion animals and jobs. We have learned that if we acquire too many animals, it is impossible to manage everything well, and it quickly makes life stressful and unfulfilling. So we try hard not to bite off more than we can chew. For now, we provide the daily animal care ourselves. We have four large pigs, four sheep, two goats, three chickens and one cat who lives indoors only in our barn.

One of the most difficult aspects of having a sanctuary is having to say no to people looking to place animals. It is important to recognize when you will be stretched beyond your means, whether it’s having the time and skills to provide good care or the actual space to house an animal. It’s also vital to know when you have a good balance in terms of the animals’ social lives. It’s not just about giving them shelter and food, but also about making sure they have a home and are happy. Introducing new animals can go smoothly, but it takes time and patience. Consider how adding new animals to a group or herd will affect the new individuals and those who you already have.

How to start a cat sanctuary

Starting an animal rescue is a dream for many people who love pets and want to make a difference. The realities of running an animal rescue can be much more overwhelming and difficult than the initial dream, so it's important to take your time, do your research and plan out the steps involved in starting a rescue.

Some animal rescues take in several types of pets, while others go with one specific breed or species. It's better to keep your focus narrow in the beginning and work with animals that you truly have knowledge on. A mistake that eager rescuers often make is jumping in and starting a rescue when they really don't have much of an understanding and history with their chosen breed or species. Make sure you understand their enrichment and exercise needs, behavior, diet and more before going further. In addition to education on your chosen animal, find other rescues around the country that work with this species or breed(s) and ask to speak to them about their experiences. They can give you invaluable advice on things they wish they had known before they started and how you can make your own rescue get started on the right foot.

Your next step is figuring out where you will keep the animals that need homes.

How to start a cat sanctuary
  • If you're rescuing smaller pets, like chinchillas or reptiles, you may be able to keep them in your own home space.
  • Larger pets like dogs, cats and horses will usually require either a shelter facility or foster homes.
  • In some cases you may be able to work with a local veterinarian or boarding facility to rent space for animals in your rescue.

Always have your housing plan ready before you take in any animals and stick to only accepting animals that you honestly have room for. Newer rescues can get overwhelmed quickly with animals they cannot feasibly care for because they take too many and have difficulty saying no.

What are the local city, county and state regulations that you will need to adhere to?

  • In some locations they can be fairly lax, whereas others will require special permits to operate a rescue.
  • Many local municipalities also have limit laws which only allow a certain number of animals in a home which may preclude people from taking in a lot of fosters for you. Check to see what the regulations are and if there are special loopholes for people who are trying to find pets homes.
  • You should also look into regulations regarding breeds and species, as you may be working with dogs that are affected by Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) or reptiles and exotics that are not legal in your area.
  • There are also zoning regulations you may need to be aware of that can affect your rescue.

Rescuing and caring for animals costs a lot of money. Sometimes new rescues don't consider all the potential costs involved such as:

How to start a cat sanctuary
  • You will need to provide for the animals' food, toys, bedding, cages, training equipment and more.
  • Veterinary bills can be a huge cost for rescues that can quickly drain your bank account. You can establish a relationship with a veterinarian to negotiate a discount, but you should still expect to need a lot of money for routine and emergency care.
  • Marketing costs will include a domain and hosting for a website, printing for flyers to advertise your animals, and some rescues have t-shirts printed for their volunteers.
  • Legal costs include filing your 501c3 paperwork, the costs of an attorney and other federal, state and local filings.
  • Transportation costs will include gas, vehicle maintenance and insurance.
  • You will need liability insurance for your rescue as well as possibly special event insurance for adoption days.

Most rescues solicit donations to cover their costs but realize this is a lot of work. You should have a plan in place on how you will do this and a "plan B" for how to fund the animals' care if expected fundraising falls through. There are organizations that provide grants, but you'll need someone who can prepare the grant applications for you if you don't know how, and success isn't guaranteed as there's a lot of competition for these funds. Some places that you can look at for grant funds include:

How to start a cat sanctuary

In addition to determining how you will get money to pay your rescue's expenses, you should also decide how you will run your rescue's finances. This means setting up accounting procedures and ideally using software such as Quickbooks, which can help make this easier for you. If you are completely in the dark about how to handle financials, you would be wise to consult with an accountant and professional bookkeeper to assist you, either for a fee or possibly you might find one willing to volunteer their services.

It's almost impossible to run a rescue, even a small one, by yourself. This means you'll need to recruit volunteers to help with fostering animals, providing transport, interviewing potential adopters, attending adoption fairs, updating your website and social media and much more. In addition to these volunteers, it's critical to your success to have a network of people in your community to work with.

How to start a cat sanctuary
  • At a minimum, having a strong relationship with a veterinary clinic and with your local animal control and public shelter staff is a must.
  • If you're working with dogs or cats, you should also develop relationships with qualified trainers and behavior consultants who can help you work with issues that develop while the animals are in your care, as well as when they go into an adoptive home.
  • Networking with local pet professionals can help steer adopters and donors to your group. Potential professionals to work with include groomers, pet store staff, pet sitters, and dog walkers. If you work with exotics, you should investigate networking with a local herpetological society or zoo. Local businesses are also a great target for networking, as they can provide you with donations, places to hold adoption days and company-sponsored volunteers.
  • Think as well about volunteers with special skills that you'll need. Make a list of every skill that you need and then think of who you know that can fill that role or who you need to find in the community to fill it. Some examples of roles and people you'll want to find are:
    • Fundraisers
    • Event planners
    • Lawyers
    • Accountants
    • Business owners
    • Potential board members
    • Website designers
    • Social media experts
    • Local media figures

It's not necessary to be a 501c3 non-profit to accept donations, but being one makes it much easier. Donors are often more willing to donate for the tax write-off benefits, and being a 501c3 makes you eligible for additional services and benefits. For example, a 501c3 can get Google GSuite services for free and access to software discounts through TechSoup. You can file your 501c3 yourself, hire a lawyer to do it for you or use online services like LegalZoom. You'll also need to file your Articles of Incorporation with your state.

Filing as a 501c3 will also require you to have a board of directors so you'll need to recruit some other individuals and learn formal board procedures such as keeping minutes and preparing organizational policies and procedures. Once you have a board put together, decide on each person's role and then create the following together:

How to start a cat sanctuary
  1. A mission statement about why your organization exists
  2. Your board's bylaws which establish how you will operate as a board
  3. A budget with clear targeted fundraising goals
  4. Adoption policies and procedures in writing, so everyone is on the same page
  5. An adoption application form
  6. An adoption fee schedule for the animals
  7. A foster application if you will be using foster homes
  8. A surrender form if you will be taking in animals from owners
  9. Donation policies and procedures
  10. An agreed-upon set of goals by everyone as far as the number of animals you will take in, the number you wish to adopt out and milestones where you will review your numbers to make sure they are realistic
  11. A volunteer application form and volunteer handbook with policies
  12. Creating procedures and policies for your website and social media can also be a very good idea, especially if you will be having more than one person work on it

Another good reason for having a 501c3 is that it can encourage people to donate "in-kind" supplies to you, which can be anything from animal food, crates, leashes, aquariums, and anything that you can use that is not a monetary donation. You should start with making a list of all the "must have" supplies and work on either getting these donated, at a discount, or purchase them if necessary. This means you and your board will need to begin your fundraising efforts as well.

Once you have all of your paperwork, processes, people and animal housing in place, you can start looking for animals to take in. Certainly many rescues take animals much earlier, but you'll be glad you waited until you had all the other important steps in forming your organization done first! In order to find animals, there are several ways that rescues do this and it depends on what your animal focus is:

How to start a cat sanctuary
  • Many animal rescues find their charges simply by going to the local animal control office and selecting dogs and cats to save.
  • Others network with other rescues and shelters in the area to let them know what animals they will take in so they can be notified when a breed or species needs a home.
  • Network with veterinarians and pet care providers as well as they often find out about owners who need to give up a pet and are looking for a place to send them.
  • If you are focusing on a specific breed, network with breeders. They often can hear about animals of their preferred breeds that are at risk of losing their home and will steer these toward you for rescue.

One thing you should be prepared for is that as your rescue gets known, expect to be overwhelmed with calls and emails from owners desperate to find a place to send a pet. You will need to develop a strong stomach and thick skin to say no when these requests are not appropriate and when you do not have enough room or funds to take pets in that you cannot handle.

At the same time that you are taking in animals, you will want to begin advertising that your group exists and are looking for adopters.

  • If you're a breed specific rescue, contact the AKC club for that breed, as many enthusiasts are happy to adopt homeless pets in their breed of choice. (You may even end up with a waiting list.)
  • If your rescue is more general, add the animals to your website link it to a listing on petfinder.org and Adopt-a-Pet.com. You can also create accounts on these sites to list your animals.
  • Advertise locally using social media such as CraigsList and Facebook. While you cannot advertise animals for sale on these platforms, you can list information about your rescue and that you have animals that need home with a link to your website or Facebook page.
  • Connect with your local media, such as newspapers and TV news shows. Many of these have free listings for "pets of the week" needing homes and live or taped segments where you can showcase your rescue animals.
  • Network with local pet shops and other pet-friendly stores that might allow you to hold an adoption day with some of your pets. Many of these will also allow you to place flyers in their stores with information on your rescue.
  • Find stores locally that have community bulletin boards, such as grocery stores and coffee shops, and hang flyers there. Veterinary clinics also often let rescue groups hang flyers or place brochures or business cards in their offices. PetSmart and Petco allow this as well, and many small independent pet shops will also do this.
  • Be creative! Some rescue groups have "Adopt Me" vests made and walk dogs around parks with them on. Others hold donation drives at ice cream shops and sporting good stores with information on their pets. Don't limit yourself just to "pet" places as any local shop can be a source of potential adopters, whether it's a car dealership or a farmer's market.

Starting your own animal rescue can be a huge undertaking. Newcomers are often overwhelmed and discouraged because they start taking animals in before thinking about the fundamentals of running a nonprofit. They also can falter by taking in too many animals too fast. The key to running a successful animal rescue is to take your time, do all of your research and due diligence, talk to other rescuers to get their input and get all of your paperwork, processes and people in order first. Make sure you have clear goals and always stop to reevaluate to see what's working and what needs improvement. By taking these steps and going slow, you can have a rescue that saves many lives and creates happy families for years to come.