IMPACT REPORT
Words from the Executive Director
Aloha Friend,
I want to start by sharing a heartfelt mahalo for the outpouring of support you’ve provided over the past year. After the Lahaina fires, tourism to Hawai‘i — and to Lāna‘i — dropped significantly. It could have been devastating for the Sanctuary, but you didn’t let that happen. You showed up. You filled empty bellies, funded veterinary care that changed lives, and created safe, enriching spaces where rescued cats could rest, recover, and thrive.
Because of you, the Sanctuary has become more than a place for cats to live; it’s a thriving model of coexistence where endangered birds are protected, and cats can heal, trust, and even find loving homes. Your impact reaches beyond Lāna‘i. Communities across Hawai‘i and beyond are now looking to this model, eager to create solutions that work for both cats and wildlife. And because of your support, we can share what we’ve learned to help more communities find approaches that benefit all species.
This year, you funded life-saving surgeries, upgraded fencing for safer enclosures, and gave hundreds of rescued cats the time and space to trust people, with many finding loving homes.
Visitors also play a vital role in this work, a role you make possible. This year, nearly 13,000 people visited the Sanctuary — not just to meet the cats, but to help socialize them with treats, attention, and gentle engagement. That interaction transforms once wild animals into adoptable companions and sends visitors home inspired by what true coexistence looks like.
Caring for more than 750 cats on a remote island in the Pacific means shipping delays, higher costs, and constant adaptation. Everything from cat food to medical supplies to fencing must be flown
or barged in, increasing expenses by at least 30 percent. It costs about $2,350 per cat each year to provide lifelong care. That’s a $25 decrease from last year, made possible by your incredible support, which helps fuel smarter systems, stronger partnerships, and more sustainable planning. As you read this report, know that every story, every recovery, and every bird saved is thanks to you.
Thank you for making harmony in action real here on Lāna‘i and beyond.
With eternal gratitude,
Keoni Vaughn Executive Director
Your Impact This Year
Saving Cats
Your generosity turns survival into transformation — giving every cat the chance to heal, trust, and find a future.
When a cat arrives at the Sanctuary, they bring generations of survival instinct with them. Most have never known human kindness. But your gifts change that. You provide sterilization, medical care, and safe, quiet spaces where they can decompress and heal. With your support, and a little time, many blossom into social, trusting companions. And for some, the journey doesn’t end here: over 100 cats each year leave the Sanctuary for loving homes. For cats who may never seek human attention, your support provides a peaceful, enriching home for life.
Letting Lagertha Bloom
Lagertha arrived in 2018 as a shy kitten and kept her distance for years. In 2023, your support funded the dental surgery she needed to relieve painful stomatitis, and something shifted. As her pain faded, her confidence grew. She was even selected for adoption through a transfer partner. But when it came time for her final veterinary exam, she made it clear she wasn’t ready — and because of your support, she didn’t have to be.
You make it possible for cats like Lagertha to socialize at their own pace, with all the time and space they need.
Now, she’s a proud member of the welcoming committee: greeting guests with a mix of curiosity and sass. Thanks to you, she’ll continue blossoming in her own way, until she decides she’s ready for a lap to call her own.
Breaking the Cycle for Ocho & Her Kittens
Ocho was trapped near the golf course just days before giving birth — stopping yet another generation of feral cats from being born into the wild. Safely at the Sanctuary, she welcomed four tiny black kittens into the world. Two were born with cerebellar hypoplasia, a neurological condition that affects balance and coordination. Though one later passed from complications, a known risk with this condition, your compassion ensured each kitten received expert, loving care every step of the way. Today, Ocho is thriving at the Sanctuary, and her three surviving kittens have all been adopted into loving homes, breaking the cycle and beginning new lives filled with safety and love.
Jules: From Sanctuary to Sofa
The ultimate goal for every cat at the Sanctuary is a safe, loving home. For some, that means a lifetime of care here. For the lucky ones who warm up and steal hearts, it means a warm lap of their own. Your support made that dream a reality for Jules.
Protecting Birds
What Your Compassion Made Happen:
$116,640 funded 60 days of visiting veterinary care
144 dental cleanings & stomatitis surgeries
$44,847 in medical supply purchases
flights for cats leaving the island to their forever homes
You’re protecting more than cats — you’re preserving Lāna‘i’s fragile ecosystem.
Cats arrived in Hawai‘i on ships centuries ago. With no natural predators and year-round breeding, their numbers quickly grew, putting native species and ecosystems at risk. Your support provides a humane solution: every trapped cat brought to the Sanctuary lives safely in escape-proof enclosures, ending their threat to endangered wildlife while giving them lifelong care.
When Coexistence Takes Flight
The ‘Ua‘u Kani, or Wedge-tailed Shearwater, is one of Lāna‘i’s native seabirds that spends years at sea before returning home to nest. But light pollution can disorient them, and if they land in the wrong place, they may not be able to catch the ocean winds they need to take off again.
Last fall, a young shearwater was rescued in town after flying off course. The Sanctuary team watched as conservationists carried him to the bluffs. With the wind at his back, he stretched his wings and soared out to sea.
As the bird caught the wind and disappeared into the horizon, it was a moving reminder that
protecting one species can start with compassion for another. Your support made that possible.
By keeping cats safely enclosed, you remove a critical threat, giving birds like this one the freedom to fly.
A Sanctuary That Feels Like Home
Sanctuary means refuge, and you make that refuge real. Because of you, nearly 4 acres of space have been transformed into living, breathing habitats that feel like home. Native plants like pili grass, where cats can tunnel and hide, and pohinahina, softening the landscape’s edges, provide a sense of safety. Towering kukui nut, kou, and puakenikeni trees give them high places to rest and watch the world go by — just as they did in the wild.
For cats born outside, these familiar features are more than comfort; they are the bridge between fear and trust. In these quiet, natural spaces, once-wild cats can finally exhale, feel safe, and take their first steps toward believing that human kindness can change their lives.
Stronger, Safer, and Complete
This year, you made a major milestone possible: replacing every inch of aging fencing with durable PVC-coated galvanized steel, built to withstand the elements for the next decade.
These upgrades create more secure homes for rescued cats and stronger protection for endangered birds, helping your compassion provide safety that lasts for years to come.
Because of You,
Lāna‘i’s
Wildlife is Safer
3,500 feet of fencing replaced 7 enclosures upgraded
$54,408 invested in water & infrastructure
70 cats relocated from bird nesting sites and surrounding conservation areas
A Model for Coexistence
Because of you, the Lanai Cat Sanctuary is more than a safe haven — it’s proof that cats and endangered birds can thrive together.
This year, you provided ongoing medical care for an average of 800 cats, kept critical supplies flowing despite 30% higher shipping costs, and ensured they had the safe, stable environment needed to heal and thrive. Because of you, nearly 13,000 visitors experienced this
model of coexistence firsthand, leaving with a deeper understanding of how compassion and conservation can work hand in hand.
Your support ensures this dream lives on — a thriving, sustainable model of harmony in action.
Mahalo nui loa for being the hero in the story of every Lanai Lion, and every bird nesting safely on this island.
You Made These Stories Possible —
Keep the Impact Going
Each level reflects the lives you’ve already changed and invites you to change another.
$25 – The Shearwater Promise
Contributes toward the cost of a humane trap to safely remove cats from the wild, protecting endangered birds and giving cats a better life.
$50 – The Jules Gift
Supports a veterinary exam for a rescued cat, helping them take the first steps toward adoption.
$100 – The Ocho Pledge
Helps stop the cycle of reproduction by contributing to the cost of a spay or neuter.
$300 – The Lagertha Bloom
Offsets the cost of a full-mouth extraction, freeing a cat from chronic pain and helping them blossom.
$500 – The Journey to Forever
Assists with the veterinary exam, health certificate, and safe travel for cats leaving Lāna‘i to find a forever home.
Join the Pride today — help keep harmony in action for cats, birds, and Lāna‘i’s future.
Lanai Cat Sanctuary
PO Box 631577
Lanai City, Hawai‘i 96763
Behind the Scenes at the Sanctuary
Ever wonder how 750+ cats manage to live together in peace?
It’s one of the most common questions visitors ask, and a fair one. With so many cats sharing one space, you’d expect plenty of drama. But cat fights are surprisingly rare, thanks to an environment intentionally designed to prevent them.
Cats typically fight over three things:
• Mates
• Food or resources Territory
Those triggers don’t exist here. Every cat is spayed or neutered, there’s an abundance of food, water, and treats, and the enclosures are spacious: filled with trees, rooftops, hideaways, and cozy shelters. Even assertive cats are easily avoided, with endless places to perch, nap, or disappear into tall grass.
Each enclosure is closely monitored. If tension rises or illness spreads, cats are rebalanced to restore peace. And
while the occasional hiss or harmless swat still happens — usually over treats or extra visitor attention — it’s just a quick reminder that sharing isn’t mandatory.
This harmony isn’t an accident: it’s intentional, and it’s possible because of you.
