Cat'sCradle'sHistory

Determined to find no-kill alternatives for stray cats, Pat Rossi founded Cat's Cradle in 1998. Beginning by working with local veterinarians to provide sterilization and vaccines at a low cost, Pat was willing to care for the cat's until they were fostered.

Cat's Cradle originally opened in downtown Harrisonburg providing spay/neuter assistance, promoting adoptions, teaching humane education, taking calls from clients, and training/recruiting volunteers to.....

Fast forward to 2014, Cat's Cradle's board of nine devoted individuals knew it was time to expand its resources. They did so by creating a pet retention and rehoming program.

Executive Director Sherri

Heishman shares, "We started out as a tiny rescue, trying to promote TNR and it grew into a very sizable non-profit that helps thousands and thousands of people and their cats."

The small but mighty team worked hard to excel in their allotted job by providing adoption services, supporting the foster community, aiding with trap neuter release, and commemorating any & all volunteers they could get.

Today, Cat's Cradle has a mission to ensure and maintain a safe, compassionate community for cats in the Shenandoah Valley by reducing the number of cats and kittens taken into shelters that are euthanized. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are proud to say that our spay/neuter facilitation and TNR are still our primary programs.

Challenges

Funding is always an issue; since a lot of our funding comes from the public as opposed to grants. Our biggest worry is that something major will happen and there won't be enough in our budget to cover everything. Although CC has had some ups and downs, through the pandemic, we are so thankful for our dedicated supporters who have stood by us every step of the way.

Success

Cat's Cradle has powered through the stressors by staying transparent and working hard to stay in constant communication with local shelters. Some of our greatest success comes from the Beat the Heat program that has run since 2018. Our Summertime Challenge is a close second that has been running for as long as we can remember. Both of these campaigns help us fundraise and maintain support throughout the kitten season.

"Long term, I would like to see us expand the TNR program with additional trappers. Also, a larger foster network is able to have the ability to have a larger number of cats that we can offer for adoption. And finally, I would love to have a larger Cat Cafe!"

-Executive Director Sherri Heishman