- Joined
- Feb 18, 2019
- Messages
- 47
- Purraise
- 134
Hello! I run a cat rescue. May seem like a ramble because last week was a week that I put in 117 hours at the rescue. Just feel like I have to make a post because it has been overwhelmingly tiring and overwhelmingly amazing the same time. When I do not get everything done in life like somehow I ended up forgetting to do a call back for 3 days or forgot I had a vet appointment for a cat yesterday - I feel like I have failed. But asking one person to run an entire 30-40 cat rescue...some days I feel like keeping it running and taking care of their basic needs is a challenge in and of itself without tacking more on.
I am the director. I have two other people who help me out here but for the most part I am the web designer, photographer, veterinary technician (certified), cat behavior consultant (certified) and graphic designer. Many of the skills would ideally be given to other employees, volunteers, board members. No one has come forward to volunteer in the last two years with these things so I am it. We have been thankful to have huge amount of community donors though! And we openly invite places that work with special need's individuals to come by and pet/socialize with cats. That feels awesome. I taught myself most of these skills. While that sounds nice - I have been volunteering between 80 and 120 hours a week at the cat rescue to maintain it since I can't even afford to pay myself. I live with the co-director and her friend works a good job that pays for the housing for our little family. We saved 211 cats in 2019 and 150 in 2018 + 100 in 2017. Of those cats - 15 eye removals, 7 leg removals, 2 femoral head repairs and more. I cannot say not to a cat with medical needs and would rather not take a paycheck even if I feel like we could pay me for my efforts. I have 11 years of rescue experience at 27 which is really interesting. I worked in a shelter for years prior to tech school and starting this rescue. Some days I regret it due to having no help, other days it feels like it is where I need to be in life.
I love it and I hate it. Waking up at 5 am and going to sleep at 11 pm is a daily because nothing goes as planned since we are focused on special needs. We have saved countless cats with ruptured eyes, broken legs and so on. I think the hardest thing I want to say is that it runs your life. Good and bad. The rest of my life suffers definitely - by that I mean, drinking and eating perhaps not the best food and neglecting cleaning the house at home or not being able to spend the time you would like to with family and so on. Not even getting all of the rescue work done every day because there is not nearly enough time in the day. Sometimes you get yelled at because you are unable to be at two places at once as a small rescue that is constantly taking on more than it can chew it seems like.
Regardless, things have went relatively well. I have been volunteering more 80 hour shifts lately than 100-120. I am a professional writer so write a cat behavior article here and there to earn money to help with house care. I also do product reviews and make money on that by giving advice to the product designers. Just recently I picked up grant writing.
I am the director. I have two other people who help me out here but for the most part I am the web designer, photographer, veterinary technician (certified), cat behavior consultant (certified) and graphic designer. Many of the skills would ideally be given to other employees, volunteers, board members. No one has come forward to volunteer in the last two years with these things so I am it. We have been thankful to have huge amount of community donors though! And we openly invite places that work with special need's individuals to come by and pet/socialize with cats. That feels awesome. I taught myself most of these skills. While that sounds nice - I have been volunteering between 80 and 120 hours a week at the cat rescue to maintain it since I can't even afford to pay myself. I live with the co-director and her friend works a good job that pays for the housing for our little family. We saved 211 cats in 2019 and 150 in 2018 + 100 in 2017. Of those cats - 15 eye removals, 7 leg removals, 2 femoral head repairs and more. I cannot say not to a cat with medical needs and would rather not take a paycheck even if I feel like we could pay me for my efforts. I have 11 years of rescue experience at 27 which is really interesting. I worked in a shelter for years prior to tech school and starting this rescue. Some days I regret it due to having no help, other days it feels like it is where I need to be in life.
I love it and I hate it. Waking up at 5 am and going to sleep at 11 pm is a daily because nothing goes as planned since we are focused on special needs. We have saved countless cats with ruptured eyes, broken legs and so on. I think the hardest thing I want to say is that it runs your life. Good and bad. The rest of my life suffers definitely - by that I mean, drinking and eating perhaps not the best food and neglecting cleaning the house at home or not being able to spend the time you would like to with family and so on. Not even getting all of the rescue work done every day because there is not nearly enough time in the day. Sometimes you get yelled at because you are unable to be at two places at once as a small rescue that is constantly taking on more than it can chew it seems like.
Regardless, things have went relatively well. I have been volunteering more 80 hour shifts lately than 100-120. I am a professional writer so write a cat behavior article here and there to earn money to help with house care. I also do product reviews and make money on that by giving advice to the product designers. Just recently I picked up grant writing.