06/16/2026
Running a rescue is expensive. The amount of equipment needed is enormous—from foster supplies, carriers, traps, and event cages to scales, feeding supplies, and more. It all adds up quickly. Fortunately, much of what we use can be sanitized and reused… that is, if we get it back.
Life gets busy. Things get forgotten. I understand that. But if you come across rescue equipment months later, you know it isn’t yours. So when our equipment turns up at Goodwill with our name and phone number still on it, it feels like a huge slap in the face.
Over the years, we’ve had kitten scales loaned to fosters show up at garage sales. We’ve recovered traps from the metal recycling bin at the dump. And today, it was this carrier sitting on a shelf at Goodwill. (Thank you, Jackie, for purchasing it and bringing it back to us.)
But come on, people—DO BETTER.
When rescue equipment is loaned to you, whether for fostering or to help with a personal cat situation, please return it clean and in good working order. If something happens and it gets damaged or destroyed, tell us. We aren’t asking for perfection; we’re asking for accountability.
Every dollar we spend replacing equipment is a dollar that cannot be spent on veterinary care, spay/neuter surgeries, food, or saving lives. Every hour we spend tracking down missing equipment or cleaning neglected returns is time we aren’t in the field helping the animals you ask us to help.
These things may seem small, but they have a very real impact on the work we do.
The bottom line is this: because some people do not make returning borrowed rescue equipment a priority, we may eventually have no choice but to spend valuable time chasing down returns, stop loaning equipment altogether, or require deposits before equipment leaves our possession.
None of those options are ideal.
Please respect the resources that allow us to continue helping animals in our community. Return what you borrow. It really is that simple.
