Community members view adoptable kittens during KittyMamas Sanctuary Rescue’s “Fur-Ever Fest” fundraiser September 20 at Perkasie’s Free Will Brewing. Photo by John Worthington | The Reporter.
Cat lovers were in for a treat Saturday, September 20 as KittyMamas Sanctuary Rescue’s inaugural “Fur-Ever Fest” fundraiser kicked off.
Held at Free Will Brewing in Perkasie, the event brought together dozens of community members for a day of food, beer, music, games and fundraising. The main attraction was a litter of adoptable kittens inside the brewery’s courtyard.
“Everybody goes right to the cats,” said KittyMamas founder and president Candice Lopez. “The amount of people we’ve adopted to that didn’t actually want to adopt is unbelievable. They get a connection and say, ‘I just couldn’t not love this little kitten.’”
“A lot of people think it’s just one cat; it won’t change the world,” added event organizer and volunteer Cassie Meyers. “But for that one cat, it changes everything.”
A girl holds a kitten up for adoption.A no-kill organization
Founded in 2021, KittyMamas Sanctuary Rescue is a no-kill organization dedicated to saving and rehoming abandoned and neglected cats in the community. The organization provides a comprehensive range of services, including sheltering, food, medical care and adoption programs.
“We go above and beyond to make sure our cats end up where they need to and give them the care they need,” said Lopez. “We never euthanize. We are a no kill. We are super motivated so we will figure it out.”
Every cat is spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Cats are almost always adopted in pairs, said Lopez.
“And we take our cats back if something didn’t work out with the family,” said Lopez. “We’re pretty much open to everything.”
Since launching, KittyMamas has vastly expanded its services, adding a private sanctuary in Souderton and a community education program, where volunteers teach community members about spaying/neutering.
“It’s our only defense against overpopulation. We have so many cats that are dying every day,” said Lopez. “So we try to educate people and make it as easy as possible because people truly do not know.”
(From L to R: Jack Knetemann, benefit concert performer; Candice Lopez, KittyMamas founder and president; Cassie Meyers, event organizer and volunteer)Fundraising goal surpassed
The Fur-Ever Fest marks KittysMamas’ largest fundraiser. The event raised a total of $3,344, surpassing the organizations’ goal of $3,000. In addition, over half of the adoptable kittens received adoption applications.
But aside from raising money and adopting kittens, the organization hopes the event will increase its visibility in the community to attract additional volunteers and foster homes.
“We want to pull in donations; we also want to let people know we’re here, we need help,” said Meyers. “We couldn’t do what we do without donors and fosters.”
“It’s definitely a joint community effort,” added Lopez. “We need more people that want to get involved, and there’s so many volunteer opportunities that we now have as we are growing and evolving.”
While conceding to the job’s challenges, Lopez described the work as both essential and rewarding.
“We have a lot of heartache and pain. It’s not always beautiful and fun and cute,” said Lopez. It’s a hard field to be in, but somebody has to do it, and we’re glad to do it.”
For more information about KittysMamas Sanctuary Rescue, visit kittymamas.org
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