Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue, Inc.
Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue, Inc. (MMCR) has saved about 10,000 cats and placed them in their forever homes over the last thirteen years. They are dedicated to finding lifetime homes for abused, abandoned, neglected, or owner-relinquished cats and kittens. “This isn’t an easy task, but it’s a rewarding one,” says Senior Volunteer Amy Gonea.
Gonea, remembers a special kitty named Sky. They found Sky abandoned in a trailer home with little to no socialization. She was an incredibly shy brown tabby and certainly not an eye-popper. Sky was an older cat and had to have a dental procedure, so she had no teeth. She had so many things going against her, no socialization, being a brown tabby, shy, no teeth, and an older cat; her chances of adoption were exceptionally low. She lived at MMCR for about two years.
Sky would stay at the bottom of the cat tree, way in the back, not wanting to come out. Volunteers would talk to her and pet her; they gave her lots of attention to get her to trust people. Gradually she sought attention and began to purr when petted. The volunteer’s socialization efforts worked and through the efforts of the volunteers at MMCR, Sky found her forever home and has lived happily ever after. That’s what MMCR does.
Several things make MMCR different from other facilities. The cats live openly in the house as they would in their forever home, only in cages during the ten to twelve day quarantine process. MMCR is a “no-kill” home even if they have to wait three to four years for the cat to find their forever home.
They take-in all types of special needs cats, including those that are blind, have amputations, eye removals, dentals, or other injuries. They also take bottle babies, feral, semi-feral, FIV POS, FELV POS, pregnant cats, seniors, and those with special diets. MMCR also typically takes all of the cats on the euthanasia list from the shelters they work with and have no other place to go.
Adoptions
MMCR knows their cats’ personality. Their “Know Me Better” program matches the cat’s personality to a potential new home before they even meet their potential new pet parent. They find the best homes that fit the cats’ needs and personalities. If for any reason a cat doesn’t work out or at any point in the cat’s life the adopter can’t keep the cat, they are required to give the cat back to MMCR, as the Director Sarah Vicary-Williams personally makes a lifetime commitment of care to the cats. She says, “They are my children forever.”
Spring is here and MMCR is getting ready for kitten season, where their numbers will grow from the current 150 to about 250 cat residents. To adopt a new a kitty, go to the website and complete an adoption application. You can also find out when and where the next adoption event will happen. Once they are in the Dimondale house, they will also do adoptions from there.
Donations
If you’re doing spring-clean
ing and have old towels, sheets, blankets, gently used cat items, food or litter that your cat refuses MMCR can use them. They will also take open bags of cat food. They need everything required to run a home from paper towels, toilet paper, pens, and reams of paper to dishwasher detergent, and bleach. You can complete monetary contributions through the website: www.midmichigancatrescue.org.
Volunteers
MMCR is a non-profit, non-state, and non-federally funded 501.C (3) volunteer-based organization. The organization is always looking for volunteers, especially to support adoption events. As Director Sarah Vicary-Williams wrote in one of her email’s to volunteers, “…it takes a lot of us to do it!”
MMCR provides training for its volunteers, so there’s no worries in knowing what to do. Classes include, Adoption Event Roles and Etiquette Training, Cat Personality and Adoption Matching Training, Cat Handling Training, and Cat House Cleaning Training. They hold classes at the Dimondale house and the classes last between one and two hours.
Many tasks require volunteers, from cleaning the house, managing adoption events, or working in the office. “Volunteering is a great way to get your kitty fix,” says Amy Gonea.
Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue
5707 Michigan Road
Dimondale, Michigan
www.midmichigancatrescue.org
Email: info@midmichigancaterescue.org
No phone currently available