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Veterinarians, vet technicians, practice managers, rescuers, behaviorists, nutritionists, trainers, volunteers, and other animal professionals are the backbone of pet ownership. Helping pets and their families live in harmony and health together.
Catster wants to highlight some of these underrated champions of the animal world—who we like to refer to as Heroes of The Pet World.
We will interview some of the most inspiring vet clinics, animal hospitals, animal shelters, and rehabilitation organizations around the world to share all the wonderful and oftentimes harsh experiences they face while working to help, heal, guide, revitalize, and protect our furry family members.
These are the stories of unsung animal superheroes!
Let’s get to know the Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary in Faribault, Minnesota!
Mission
In your own words, what is Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary’s mission and purpose?
FFCS’s mission is to provide a safe sanctuary for cats who were once looked at as unwanted pests and whose lives were in danger. We aim to take in homeless feral unsocialized cats (in imminent danger) that regular rescues cannot accept. We get these animals from professional trappers that we partner with only. After fully vetting them, they are allowed to live a comfortable life in our sanctuary. If possible, we socialize them so they can be adopted out into a forever home. We also teach the public about the importance of spaying and neutering outside feral cats they might be caring for around their own homes.
What is your individual mission or goal, as a vet professional and as a person?
My mission is to provide low-cost or no-cost spay and neuter surgeries so that the number of stray and suffering cats declines. This will result in less need for feral cat sanctuaries throughout the area and decrease the number of kittens born that rescue organizations are presently struggling to deal with.
Day-to-Day Experience
What is it like being a vet professional in Faribault, Minnesota, and at Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary?
It is very rewarding taking care of cats who have been living in survival mode and are now living a life of luxury. When a cat realizes they are safe and begins to accept human touch and love, it makes all of the hard emotional and physical work worth it.
How big is your team?
We have a team of 5 full-time employees, 2 part-time employees, and about 40 dedicated volunteers who rearrange their lives to care for the sanctuary cats.
Do you have staffing shortages and how do you deal with them?
When there is a shortage, our dedicated team members step up to help cover. Our volunteers are very passionate about the cats in our care.
How many animals on average do you help on a weekly basis?
That is a tricky question. We are contacted dozens of times every single day by people wanting us to take their “friendly” cats. These animals are not used to living in a colony environment and will not be happy in our sanctuary! If it is a dire emergency and a cat’s life is in jeopardy, we do our best to help them find a solution.
Challenges and Rewards
What is the hardest part of your job? How do you handle euthanasia and patient loss?
Saying “no” because we have to abide by our conditional use permit that limits the number of cats. That makes it extremely difficult emotionally. We try to help every cat in dire need and the pressure to stay within our allotted numbers is at times a factor in whether or not we can help a cat case. There is no animal control in our area so often that’s what we are for cat situations in Faribault and surrounding communities. Many times a call for help is a call with a case with 20+ cats needing a safe place and medical attention.
What are some of the biggest challenges that your organization faces?
Truly the biggest challenge is educating the public to be a part of the solution. If every person who fed an outside cat made sure to spay or neuter it, the amount of calls we get would be drastically reduced. We understand that cost is a huge factor, which is why our next chapter is to add a veterinary clinic on-site to help.
What is the most rewarding part of doing what you guys do?
Seeing our cats happy. Watching a former “feral” cat play like a kitten makes us know we are doing a great service for these cats. Also being able to adopt a formerly feral cat into a loving home is extremely rewarding. In 2023 alone, we had 367 successful adoptions!
What are some of the accomplishments or specific animals that have made a big impact on you as a person or on your team?
Sadly, it’s the cats that came to us as emaciated, sickly, unwanted pests that have fueled our fire and have made an impact on us. “Jonni” was a very sick intact stray female cat who was literally starving to death. She was eating sticks and rocks to survive! She came to us so frail that she couldn’t be spayed for months until she was healthy enough to go under anesthesia. Jonni learned to trust and love humans and we were able to place her in a loving forever home. Another example is “Fernando” and unfortunately, he came to us too late. He was far too emaciated and sick to survive and have any quality of life. He was euthanized on our veterinarian’s recommendation. Situations like this are fuel for our fire to stop the suffering of homeless cats.
Future
What are Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary’s main goals for the future?
We will continue to educate the public on how important it is to end the suffering of homeless cats through spaying and neutering. We have sterilized over a thousand cats since the inception of our “Spay it Forward” program which was started by Dr. Beverly Stephenson’s generous contribution in 2022. We recently received permission to add a veterinary clinic on-site where we will offer low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter surgeries to low-income residents and farmers.
How can the general public help make your lives easier?
Donating financially to our amazing organization helps make things less stressful. We are not supported by any government organization and survive solely on public donations. Taking care of over 350 cats AND funding a brand new vet clinic will be an enormous task. We are up for it because we know that we can make a huge difference.
Stories
What are some of the funniest or most outrageous pet names you’ve encountered?
Our current mascot Will, was an angry, crabby, scary, feral cat on intake. He would hide out in a cat tower and pop out and slap humans if they came too close. We lovingly referred to him as Oscar the Grouch, like he was popping out of a garbage can. It took a year to calm him down and now he is 100% petable and loves humans!
How to Help
If someone wants to visit, join, support, or volunteer at your organization, where can they find more information and get in touch?
You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, doing live videos with our cats throughout the day. You can also watch our cats for free on Twitch 24/7 at furball_farm for our form of cat therapy. Our website is FurballFarmCatSanctuary.com which has information about the sanctuary as well as our wish lists, our online shop with Furball merchandise, how you can volunteer, and various ways you can donate to our cause.
Our 14,000 square foot sanctuary is also open to visitors 365 days a year from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Central Standard Time so the public can help socialize the cats. We also have an Airbnb, Furball Farm Inn that hosts visitors from all over the world and is adjacent to the sanctuary. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the Furball experience!
Anything else you’d like to tell the cat community?
Please be a part of the solution to stop the suffering of outside cats. Feeding IS breeding…. Breeding is suffering. Find a way to spay and neuter homeless cats in your area, there are many options available if you reach out to rescue organizations in your location. We will be one for our area hopefully in 2025! Thank you!