Select Page
The Cat Chronicle – April 2021

The Cat Chronicle – April 2021

Apr 1, 2021 | The Cat Chronicle

A Celebri-Kitty

Verne went from office supervisor to an insta-kitty celebrity when he was adopted after a two-month weight-loss program that helped him get fit. Click here to read his story!

A Lovely Dinner

Thanks to you all, we raised over $5,879 during our Spay-ghetti and No Balls March drive! Your donations will help us reduce pet overpopulation, making a big difference in our community. We hope to celebrate with you in person next year.

Stimulus Support

More and more, we’re being contacted by people who can’t keep their cats due to a change in their circumstances. We’re doing everything we can and can do more because of your support. Please remember us as you receive your stimulus check and consider paying it forward if you can spare it.

It’s Raining Kittens

April means kitten season, a time when cat overpopulation grows and grows with each new litter. What should you do if you find abandoned kittens? First step: watch and wait. Click for the next step.

Easter Caution

Lilies are a beautiful part of the Easter holiday but for your cat, they mean danger. All it takes is one drink of water from a vase of cut lilies for your furry friend to suffer. Learn more about these beautiful but deadly plants.

​
SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR CATS WITH A DONATION!

Click here to DONATE

The Scratching Post: March 2021

The Scratching Post: March 2021

Mar 16, 2021 | News, The Scratching Post

Message from Pam Miller, Founder & President:

Dear SAFE Haven family,

I am so pleased to come to you this beautiful spring with an update on “all things SAFE Haven!”

Of course, no one could have predicted these very changeable times over a year ago when this all started. Some things have changed at SAFE Haven and some of the changes have made our programs and services stronger. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Formerly stray cats are still finding amazing homes in great numbers by in-person appointment only. For now, we are not able to have walk-ins at the shelter but are looking forward to the time when we can again give tours – especially to children!
  • While our SAFE Care Clinic is in transition (looking for a new full-time vet who is super passionate about our nonprofit mission) we have three very experienced and dedicated part-time vets. They are helping us spay/neuter unowned feral cats, all the SAFE Haven cats, and cats from other rescues.
  • Our partners at the Purr Cup Café opened Raleigh’s only cat café in October. They are adopting scores of our cats every month! Read about this amazing, lifesaving success story on page 4.

On a more serious note, we are increasingly being contacted by people who 1) cannot keep their cats due to job loss, 2) do not have a place to live with their cats because of eviction or 3) by relatives of loved ones who have passed away. This is happening multiple times a week. We are doing everything we can and thanks to your support, we have been able to take cats from each of these situations. We will continue to respond to these heart-wrenching situations and make them a priority.

As one of the few resources in the Triangle to provide food to needy dogs and cats, our Pet Food Pantry had doubled our capacity since July. Today, we are currently supporting 76 dogs and 202 cats from 66 families.

So, challenges aside, with your help, we will continue to focus on everything we CAN do right now to save lives.

With gratitude,

Pamela Miller
Founder & President

From Shelter Cat to Instacat!

From Shelter Cat to Instacat!

Mar 11, 2021 | Happy Tails, News

SAFE Haven for Cats has become quite proficient in helping overweight kitties find their healthy shape. It all started with a little big cat called The Colonel. This story is about an equally chunky kitty named Verne. Monster Mash, as he was called, was 25 pounds when he was surrendered to the Wake County Animal Center. The kind folks there reached out to local rescues to help with his rehoming. SAFE Haven said “yes”, and Monster was brought into our care on January 2, 2020. He was renamed to Verne to give him a fresh start.

Although he was overweight, Verne was quite the looker and quickly became a shelter favorite! Our shelter director, Patti, took him in as her office supervisor, a job he took very seriously. He enjoyed being the center of attention, lazing around Patti’s office (especially on her desk), and taking victory strolls around the shelter while flaunting his freedom to the other cats. After about two months of adoration, he was officially ready for adoption.

He quickly caught the eye of a very special adopter. You may be familiar with a little celebrity named Tucker aka the Oak City Kitty. Tucker became famous in downtown Raleigh after his dad started to let him take strolls around the block as a form of exercise. Tucker was a chunky kitty too. Sadly, he passed away in November of 2019. When his dad saw Verne’s photo on our website, he couldn’t resist meeting him. It was love at first sight.

Verne was renamed to Chester and quickly made himself at home with his new parents and kitty siblings, Moonbat and Flounder. He is now one of the stars of Tucker’s Oak City Kitty Instagram page. Moonbat and Flounder make the occasional appearance as well. It’s clear that Chester is the star now! He continues Tucker’s legacy as most lovable chunky, grumpy kitty of the Triangle area. You can follow his antics on Instagram at @oakcitykitty.

Meet the cats like Verne who could be your star!

The Cat Chronicle – March 2021

The Cat Chronicle – March 2021

Mar 4, 2021 | The Cat Chronicle

Spay-ghetti & No Balls – Celebrate from Home!

While we can’t be together for our annual Spay-ghetti & No Balls dinner this year, we can enjoy a pasta dinner for the cats…with your cats! If you donate at least $10 this month and add “Spay-ghetti” to the “Additional Comments” box, you’ll get 2 super-secret SAFE Haven pasta recipes to make dinner at home. All proceeds will help us raise funds and awareness to help reduce pet overpopulation. Learn more at the link.

Tax Season is $avings $eason

Here are a few ways to ease your tax burden AND save cats.

    • The CARES Act was extended, meaning you can deduct $300 in charitable gifts even if you don’t itemize for 2021. Click here to learn more about this benefit and make your donation today!
    • Have a talent for the stock market? You can donate stocks, bonds or mutual funds to SAFE Haven quickly and easily. Click here for instructions.

Thick on Love

All cats are beautiful but sometimes, they need a helping hand to be healthy and happy! The Colonel, a fabulous tabby who came back to us in August 2018 weighing 26 pounds, needed a special program to get physical. Learn how he got fit to find his fur-ever home and see a few more of our kitty success stories!

​
SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR CATS WITH A DONATION!

Click here to DONATE

Let’s snip pet overpopulation!

Let’s snip pet overpopulation!

Mar 1, 2021 | News

Let’s snip pet overpopulation!

We know you, like us, look forward to our Spay-ghetti & No Balls dinner each year. It’s our time to gather as a community and to make an even bigger difference in reducing the number of homeless animals. While we can’t be together in person this year, we still have so many animals that need our help! That’s why you can now participate in this tradition from home.

During March, donate at least $10 to the Spay-ghetti and No Balls fundraiser to save lives! With your donation, you’ll receive an email with two FREE super-secret SAFE Haven recipes so you can enjoy our pasta dinner at home. All you have to do is add “Spay-ghetti” in the Additional Comments box on the donation form. Your recipes will arrive in your email inbox!

Donate at least $10 and add “Spay-ghetti” to the “Additional Comments” box on the donation form. Look for an email from SAFE Haven with your recipes!

Donate Now!

You can be part of the solution. SAFE Haven for Cats fixes over 2,000 pets a year, and we need your help ensuring that we NEVER turn away a pet in need. Donate in March and help fund free and low-cost spays and neuters. We can snip this problem in the bud, but we need your help.

Why is fixing cats important?
All month long, we’re raising funds and awareness to help end pet overpopulation. Spaying and neutering save lives. We all know there is no shortage of cats needing loving homes. There are never enough homes, shelters or fosters to care for all the animals in our community. There are over 100,000 cats and dogs living without a home in the Triangle on any given night. It’s overwhelming to think about it on a national or a global scale.

But fixing animals in our community makes a major impact. Every spayed female can reduce the population significantly in her lifetime. Imagine the impact of snipping those rangy Tomcats, oh my! Feral pets are often put down in area shelters because they are seen as being burdensome on the community. Stopping unwanted litters is the key to solving this problem.

Not only does fixing pets help end unplanned litters, but it also has amazing impacts on their health and your happiness. Learn more about all the benefits of spaying or neutering your pet.

Donate

Don’t forget to add that you’re donating for Spay-ghetti in the additional comments box. Now let’s get snipping!