Help Blind Cats See a Future!

Dear friends –

It’s hard to believe that 2024 is nearly at an end! It’s been a momentous year for Blind Cat Rescue, one that has brought many transitions!

In January, our wonderful founder retired, and we ushered in the year with new leadership. As Alyson and I took the reins from Alana, we were (and still are) firmly committed to continuing her mission of providing permanent homes to blind, FIV- and leukemia-positive cats and assuring them that they will never again be lost, alone or threatened with euthanasia because of their conditions. When they enter the gates of BCR, they are home forever.

A change in leadership brings with it many challenges and I’m happy to say that our staff rose to meet each one. Our first priority is always the care of our cats, and we work every day to ensure they have the best possible. As we plan for the future, I am grateful to our board of directors for their support and guidance.

During the year, we lost several resident cats, including two of our “founders” cats had been with us more than 10 years. Bear, our FIV+ champion hugger and very sweet orange boy left us in February. Lisa, our wonderful, brave and strong blind black and white cow kitty crossed the rainbow bridge in November. Both these cats had wonderful long lives at BCR, and our entire family grieves their loss.

We also had some wonderful welcomes in 2024, too, 23 to be exact. In my last report, I told you about the 12 cats from Ohio that we rescued in late July from an animal control seizure situation. In addition to them, we welcomed home more blind, FIV+ and leukemia+ kitties from North Carolina and other states. Like the cats who have been at BCR for a while, these new arrivals serve as ambassadors and educators – showing the world that cats like them are just cats and deserve loving families and homes. All our new arrivals are doing well at BCR thanks to the support you’ve given them this year.

We spent some time in the community and on the road this year! We attended pet nights at our local minor-league baseball games, visited businesses who support us, North Carolina’s Pet Expo in Raleigh, Virginia’s first-ever cat convention and even a Cat Fancier’s Cat Show and Expo in Ohio. I was happy to participate in a training seminar for shelter workers there, too. Everywhere we went this year, we met so many wonderful people, some who know us well and others we met for the first time. It was such a pleasure to exchange stories and introduce them to the BCR cats. We hope they will visit BCR if they are in the neighborhood!

One of our favorite accomplishments for 2024 is the establishment of International Blind Cat Day, which will always be celebrated on October 20, the day of our founding 20 years ago. We were surprised to know that there was no special day set aside for blind cats, so we created one! Because we need to find as many ways as possible to share the truth about blind cats with the world, this was a natural fit. We invite you to join us in that celebration in 2025.

Speaking of 2025, it’s a special year for BCR – our 20^th anniversary! It’s very unusual for a small animal rescue to have this kind of longevity and we are humbled by the love and support our cats have received from the first day. Generous people with big hearts like you have made this big anniversary possible and we thank you! I hope to share more about our anniversary in future reports.

From the Blind Cat Rescue family to yours, we wish you the Happiest of Holidays and a wonderful 2025!

Links:

• How are the Ohio 12 Doing Now?