2025 AniMeals Holiday Catalog by Animealsmsla

The Gift of Life

The holidays are the time of year we look forward to with childlike anticipation It’s a magical time when families and friends gather together, surrounded by the richness and splendor of the season It’s a time of giving, selflessness, love, and joy The tradition of giving gifts to our loved ones fills us with the holiday spirit and warms us from within.

This holiday season, consider giving a gift that reduces commercialism and gives a second chance to a hungry or homeless animal. With your help, we can continue to give the gift of life to thousands of animals in need.

Please help us fill the hungry tummies and hearts of the animals we care for.

onor and a responsibility to t the years since AniMeals ce to live a good life.

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Giving care to animals in need is the centerpiece of our mission and our day-to-day work Hope drives us, with every rescue, every stray, every adoption, every spay and neuter, in everything we do. Gratitude, giving thanks for lives saved, dollars raised, the promise of a brighter tomorrow, fo without people to carry out and su adopters, the veterinary team, de what we do.

The greatest gift, I think, is to impa year, that’s what we focus on, wor protect, to feed, to heal, to give sec

Board of Directors:

Karyn Moltzen, Board President

Susan Andrews Merseal, Vice President

Kelly Becker, Treasurer

Kiley McGowen, Secretary

Kelly Jo Jackson

Bill Rideg

Ray Merseal

Crystal Field

Pam Wright

Gina Thul

AniMeals Staff:

Janet Rose, Executive Director

Spencer McNamara, Development Associate

Josephine Rodgers, Shelter Manager

Lea Graham, Marketing Specialist

Animal Care & Adoption Counselors: Abby

Nahapetian, Collin Connor, Sara Raisanen

ICU Technicians: Lacey Hickle, Tres Manko

AniMeals is Missoula, Montana’s only brickand-mortar feline-centric shelter and animal food bank for companion animals and community cats. We provide safe and soft sheltering services for approximately 450 felines each year and distribute six tons of kibble to neighbors in need.

Our mission is to save the hungry, the helpless, the lost, and the little ones just struggling to survive; to house and feed as many animals as possible; to ease the suffering of the weak and unloved.

AniMeals No-Kill Adoption Center & Animal Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit. Tax ID# 20-4694132 Our work is made possible because of monetary and in-kind donations from individual donors and grants. AniMeals does not receive any government assistance, which allows us to intake felines with significant, but treatable or manageable medical conditions. We rescue, feed, and heal because of community support. Thank you!

Cover Photos by Chex Studios

January 2025 to September 2025

Adopted

The Shelter

We take the old, the infirm, the youngsters born to feral mothers that need socializing, and homeless felines that need medical assistance. We believe that every life is valuable regardless of age or medical issue. We are a safe haven for those who have run out of options.

Our shelter is a no-kill shelter These cats never have to face the possibility of landing on “the kill list”. Life is the reason we are here. We believe loss of life should not be an option for an animal that has done nothing other than lost its human address.

Upon their arrival at the shelter, all cats receive a “Nose to Toes Health Care Exam,” which includes a routine checkup, spay or neuter, dentals, deworming, and vaccinations. Last but not least, a microchip so that if they are ever lost, they will always find their way back home.

Send the unwanted and abandoned lives to us so we can offer hope, care, warmth, and love.

Veterinary Care

We take the health care of the cats and kittens coming through our shelter seriously. Every feline that comes through our door gets a nose-to-toes exam, vaccines, dewormer, dentals, and a microchip so that they are in optimum health while waiting for their forever homes.

Staying stocked on medicine, antibiotics, and vaccines is essential in saving the life of a sick kitty

$1,100 Exams and Surgeries for One Week $750 Spaysand NeutersforOne Week $330 Medicineand VaccinesforOne Week

$3,000 Spaysand NeutersforOne Month

mollie ring worm treatment

Critical Care

A large number of the homeless animals that come to us are in need of urgent care. Many suffer serious illnesses from neglect and harsh weather. Many have broken bones and life-threatening injuries Many require immediate, emergency veterinary care

When these situations present themselves and speed is essential to saving a life, no matter what time of day or night, the cost is usually very high It is important to get these animals stabilized as quickly as possible, as shock alone can kill them.

These expenses are not your average everyday medical expenses; they are always emergencies requiring extraordinary measures, including life and death surgeries.

$2,900 Fund the Critical Care Program for One Month

$35,000 Fund the Critical Care Program for One Year

We created this program to help people who need a little extra help with veterinary expenses. This program ensures that a pet gets the care it needs and in the homes of the people who love them, rather than being relinquished to a shelter or “put to sleep” due to lack of finances.

Fostering

Kitten season is the time of year with homeless litters, starting in the Spring and ending in late Fall. This high volume of babies presents many challenges for our staff and the kittens we are caring for.

It is critical that these babies are placed into temporary homes because of a condition known as “failure to thrive” A kitten’s odds are greatly diminished when their first days are spent in a shelter. They NEED to be in a home.

Our Foster Program doubles the number of lives we can save.

AniMeals pays for all the food and supplies that our foster families need to ensure the survival of their tiny charges. Our Foster Program saves an average of 200 kittens annually.

Not only do we have kitten fosters, we also have medical, socialization, and hospice fosters. Our medical fosters provide quiet homes for cats healing from major surgeries or illnesses; our hospice fosters offer palliative care for cats with progressive medical conditions, and our socialization fosters help “scaredy cats” grow in confidence and learn to trust humans

Janet & Chrissy

The Babies

We as humans are a poor substitute for a mother cat. The care and feeding of these tiny babies is a full-time job Unfortunately, there are times when we must step in Raising orphaned infant kittens is one of the most challenging, labor-intensive responsibilities in the world of rescue. Because they require around-the-clock feedings every two hours for the first two weeks of life, and then every three to four hours the next two weeks, it can be exhausting. But once they hit the four-week mark, things get much easier

Experienced foster families that take on the “tinys” are few and far between and worth their weight in gold In an ideal world, we would have a “kitten nursery ” with rotating shifts of caregivers to ease the burden of sleepless nights, but we do not live in an ideal world, and we haven’t won the lottery yet, so we rely on the selfless people who know the reward outweighs the sacrifice.

We are always in need of experienced bottle feeders for these tiny babies. Please call the shelter if you have experience and can help with the special care these babies require.

bottle babies

Working Cat Program

Our Working Cat Program was created as a placement program for cats that cannot live as household companions, yet are an excellent addition to farms, stables, plant nurseries, feed stores, and/or warehouses. These low-maintenance, independent “working” cats (the original form of pest control) are healthy, spayed/neutered, vaccinated for rabies, microchipped, and ear-tipped.

The program requires that cats be adopted in pairs, and are provided with a safe outdoor home where shelter from the elements and harsh weather are easily accessible, as well as daily fresh food and water. Our adoption program gives them what they need: forever homes where they can live happily with limited human interaction.

Gaia’s Landing

This opt-in program offers a route out of the shelter for the medically challenged cats in our care. If an adopter feels daunted by covering the cost of a cat’s medical condition, they can opt into the Gaia’s Landing program and receive aid from AniMeals for the specific condition that was diagnosed while in our care Every life matters, and it is beautiful to see a cat go to a good home regardless of what their medical needs may be.

Paula Sabra

Animal Food Bank

When we look at the shelves in our food bank, we do not see bags of dog and cat food. We see hundreds of faces that will eat tonight. The joy that this bounty brings to our clients is immeasurable. It is the joy of waking up in the morning and being greeted by your reason for living. It is the comforting joy of knowing that when you have been beset with catastrophic circumstances, or are homebound disabled, your pets will eat while you are on a fixed income or until you can get back on your feet again. It is the joy of knowing that when you take on the task of rescuing and sheltering, there is someone who has your back Nothing can compare to this kind of joy It wells up from the very core of your being. And you, the people who believe in us and our mission, make this all possible.

Our homebound disabled program is designed specifically for the pets of the elderly, disabled, and homebound members of our community. A companion animal is sometimes the only “family” member they have, providing friendship, joy, and a reason for living Every week, AniMeals provides food to local seniors and homebound disabled households. We work with fourteen different social service agencies that refer these people to us.

At times, the cost of pet food can be an insurmountable obstacle for individuals living on a fixed income. It can mean the difference between keeping their beloved family member and feeding them applesauce or surrendering them to an unknown future Many seniors give up their food to feed their cats and dogs. Supplying pets with adequate daily meals makes it far more likely that everyone in the household is eating their own nutritious food.

From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you on behalf of all the lives, both human and animal, that you touch with your support.

Ways to Get Involved

Gifts of time and talent are just as impactful as fiscal donations. So far this year, 83 volunteers donated 1,037 hours in service to our felines.

Become a Shelter Buddy

Our Shelter Buddy program helps under-socialized cats grow in trust and become more adoptable. Shelter Buddies set aside time to hang out with a particular cat each week. It can be as simple as playing with a string toy, reading to them, or just sitting nearby.

Clean Suites & Rooms

The first thing staff does every morning is reset the shelter before we open to the public. Cleaning suites and rooms includes refreshing blankets, sweeping the floors, scooping litter boxes, and filling food and water bowls. It’s the most critical time of day at our shelter.

Help with Laundry

Laundry is the biggest ongoing daily task at AniMeals. Help us run a couple of loads and fold laundry.

Volunteer Hours

Stop by the shelter anytime Friday through Wednesday between 12pm and 6pm.

In-Kind Donations

Donations may be dropped off during open shelter hours. We accept towels, blankets, toys, beds, food, and much more! 1700 Rankin Street, Missoula, MT 59808

I have had the honor and privilege to be the shelter manager for 2 years now Seeing and helping the cats that come to us open up and blossom in the rooms and suites on our adoption floor is one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I am so happy to be here. holly

This fall we lost an integral member of our team, Richelle Jackson. It is a loss that is felt keenly and deeply, we will never forget her, she was the beating heart of AniMeals We know she wanted to see and help AniMeals continue on into perpetuity. We hope that this holiday season you can help support the vision she does not get to see, and honor her legacy.

With the capital campaign underway, we are grateful to those who have already started the process of turning this dream into reality and we hope the holiday spirit guides our donors to further that mission. We wouldn’t be here without any of you who care about our mission to help the cats in our community

Thank you for supporting us, so we can continue to rescue, feed, and heal the cats in Missoula and beyond.

Sincerely,