Our Story – Saving Cats for 25 Years
The Cat Connection is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit no-kill organization whose primary mission is to rescue abandoned, abused, unwanted, stray, neglected, and injured cats, and to facilitate their adoption into responsible permanent homes. This includes special needs cats and kittens with conditions that will require a specialized approach to adoption. TCC also controls the feral cat population through a Trap-Neuter-Return-Maintain Program (TNRM) program, and trapping and socialization of feral kittens. To further reduce cat abandonment, surrender and unwanted breeding, TCC supports low-income families through spay/neuter assistance, financial assistance for vet care, food and supplies.
How We Began
What was to become The Cat Connection started over two decades ago in Waltham when Sandy Schawbel and Flo Shulman noticed the growing number of homeless cats in their neighborhood. They began to feed them, then to trap and take them to vets to given shots and to be spayed and neutered. The two women returned the cats that they did not adopt themselves back into the neighborhood cat colony, where they looked in on the cats and fed them every day. Since there was no physical shelter, the women noticed that some of the cats were friendly and took some of them into their own homes. In addition, they began to find foster and find permanent homes for the cats. They developed a network of supporters that began to hold yard sales and rummage sales to defray the costs of caring for the cats, and began partnerships with local businesses, some of which are still in place today.
TCC is Born
As the demands on the founders grew, they recognized the necessity of creating a more formal organization as a means of ensuring the sustainability of their work. The Cat Connection (TCC) incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2000. And a board was appointed.
For 20 years, TCC operated without a permanent shelter, continuing to rely on placing rescued cats in foster homes. This allowed the organization to solidify its reputation, while launching fundraising efforts to underwrite the costs of caring for an increasing number of cats. By January 2013, with a backlog of cats waiting for foster and permanent homes, it became clear The Cat Connection needed a physical shelter. With strong community support, they petitioned the city but due to zoning issues, their attempts to find a home in Waltham were unsuccessful.
A New Home in Brighton
In 2020, the landlord of what used to be the Purr Cat Café came to a member of The TCC board with the idea that the space, which had been approved for cats by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (the agency that oversees animal shelters) would be perfect place for a shelter. After significant due diligence, the board signed a lease and construction began on a state-of-the-art facility for cats. With 5 large cat “pods” (small rooms enclosed by open fencing) a kitten room upstairs and with room for intake, quarantine, and isolation downstairs this new shelter was constructed with the health, comfort, and happiness of cats in mind. The large pods can accommodate several cats, although there are typically no more than two in a pod. In addition to the basics – food and litter boxes – the pods offer enrichment to the cats with cat trees, tunnels, and multiple toys. The cats can run and climb and play with caretakers and other cats. “The buildout of the shelter was an arduous process, with significant delays due to COVID, but it is now a fear free, no-kill shelter full of passionate volunteers, and wonderful kitties ready to find new forever homes,” says Deni Auclair, Treasurer of TCC.
In August 2021, TCC opened its doors to their first cat: Hunky Dory. Hunky Dory went to his forever home on October 6, 2021. He is the first of many TCC shelter cats to have happily-ever-after stories. In just a few years, the number of cats rescued has gone from just over 100 to well over 400 a year. The annual budget before the shelter opened was just over $100,000 and now it is over $400,000, with more than half of that income spent on veterinary care for the cats.
Volunteers are the Heart and Soul of TCC
TCC’s efforts continue to grow due to the hard work put forth by the many caring individuals who donate their time, energy and love. TCC has over 100 volunteers who care for the kitties by trapping, feeding, cleaning, medicating, transporting cats to vet appointments, writing grants, planning fundraising events and campaigns, finding adopters, and so much more. Through these efforts, not only are feline lives saved, but so are human lives. Many people who have sought medical assistance for their cats, or received food and supplies from the TCC Food Pantry for their pets, have told TCC how much their pets enrich their lives, combat depression, and comfort them in times of distress. This is what TCC is all about: helping animals and the people who love them.
Your New Family Member
Although all animals in our care are guaranteed a safe, comfortable home with us for as long as they require, the ultimate goal is to place them in a loving forever home. Our adoption coordinator and Vice President, Karen Evans says, “Our application process is designed to match each of our cats with the most compatible family. We interview potential adopters and ask many questions about your home, family, current pets and day-to-day activities to ensure successful adoptions. Falling in love with a pet is easy; adopting a pet is a big decision. Your new kitty will require lots of time and money, and is a commitment for the next 10-20 years.”
Fostering Brings Extra Love and Attention
TCC’s foster program is an integral part of their mission to save cats. The foster program works in tandem with the shelter to ensure that cats or kittens are effectively cared for. Most of TCC’s cats go to foster home to make their stay at the shelter as brief as possible. “Despite the unique nature of our shelter, which gets cats out of cages and into pods as quickly as possible, nothing compares to being in a loving home, either foster or permanent. It is an incredibly rewarding job to see how much a cat’s personality changes in foster care when they are able to bloom with one-on-one attention,” says foster coordinator and TCC President, Taline Lorensian.
Caring for the Colonies and Trapping
Colony feeders feed at one of TCC’s feral TRNM colonies once a week in the morning or evening, depending on the location. It takes approximately fifteen minutes each feeding with volunteers providing water, food, and trash bags. Each colony has a colony supervisor who makes sure there is a feeder for each day and to whom feeders report any sick or hurt cats or other issues. Current colony sites are in Waltham. Trappers are called in when a new cat is spotted in a colony area that needs to be trapped, especially if a cat is sick or injured or there is a litter of vulnerable kittens.
Events are Cat-tactic
TCC has a variety of Events and Fundraising Opportunities throughout the year to support the running of the organization. Most notable are the Whiskers and Whiskey Gala held in November and the June Garden Party. The TCC has a table at the Steam Punk Festival and holds a Trash and Treasure Rummage Sale at the First Parish Church in Waltham. In addition, there is TCC Annual Calendar Raffle, several open houses at the shelter (the shelter is open to the public by appointment only), and partnerships with businesses such as Jersey Mike’s.
You Can Help Us
Please join us in our mission to help cats. Volunteer or donate to The Cat Connection.
