Adopt, donate or volunteer to help the cats

An eight-week-old kitten that survived a car crash became the catalyst for veterinarian Jennifer Petrovich’s cat rescue shelter. Dr. Jen, as her customers at the Clyde Park Veterinarian Clinic call her, treated the kitten back in 1999 after someone brought him in. He was appropriately named Crash.

Crash suffered fractures in three of his legs, a shattered foot and a broken tail. No one thought he would make it, but he recovered fully and now, at age 13, still greets visitors to the veterinarian office today. He’s the reason Crash’s Landing is in business and has saved the lives of almost 3,000 cats since 2002.

Crash’s Landing is a no-kill cat rescue and placement center that Dr. Jen says she began because people were always contacting the veterinarian’s office asking where they could drop off cats and she always found the other shelters full.

The shelter doesn’t take in unwanted family pets or kittens under the age of six months, but cats that are abandoned or neglected are given a second chance at having a loving family. Their priority is for sick, injured or at risk cats, so they typically refer the healthy cats to other organizations. The Crash’s Landing shelter can only hold 130 cats at a time.

Another shelter owned by Dr. Jen called Big Sid’s Sanctuary holds another 130 cats that have been diagnosed with Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus. Previously, cats diagnosed with FIV and FeLV were euthanized, but with the right environment and care, these cats can now live long, healthy lives and they are available for adoption too.

Nearly 200 volunteers help maintain Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary -- no one gets paid, not even Dr. Jen. People visit daily to feed the cats, pet them and clean, but more volunteers are always needed. Shifts are as little as two hours once a month or as often as someone is available, and the clinic is open 365 days a year.

All cats at Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary are adoptable so if you are looking for a cat to join your family, there’s an application online and photos of the available cats.

You can also sponsor a cat waiting on adoption for $20 a month. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary do not receive any federal or state funding so they depend on donations and sponsorships to help pay their costs of $8-9,000 a month.

If you’re wondering how you can help Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary, Dr. Jen simply says, “Adopt. Donate. Volunteer.”

You can also attend one of two upcoming events. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary are having an open house on October 27 from 1-5 p.m. if you want to tour the facilities and look at the cats available for adoption.

Or, on November 2, a wine and art gala fundraiser will be held at the Thousand Oaks Country Club to celebrate the organization’s 10-year anniversary. More information can be found online.

As many cat owners know, owning a cat can be a very rewarding experience. If you love cats, please consider adopting or sponsoring one from Crash’s Landing or Big Sid’s Sanctuary or volunteering your time. Here’s how you can get involved:

-    Visit Crash’s Landing and Big Sid's Sanctuary to find out more about the organizations.
-    Attend the open house on October 27.
-    Attend the November 2 Wine and Art Gala at Thousand Oaks Country Club.
-    Adopt a cat and give it a loving home.
-    Volunteer for Crash’s Landing in whatever capacity you can give.
-    Donate to the organization.
-    Sponsor a cat.
-    Like Crash’s Landing on Facebook.

Source: Dr. Jennifer Petrovich, founder of Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary
Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor

Photos provided by Crash’s Landing.