21/08/2025
A little chapter of our story that set the stage for everything we’re working toward 💖
Although we never got the chance at the time, we’d like to officially and retroactively share our pilot sanctuary with y’all. Two years ago we had the opportunity to rent our very first rescue space. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a chance to put our vision into practice and felt like the best way to lay the groundwork to launch a capital campaign for a building of our own. Now this endeavor was not something that our little rescue could afford. We operate on an itty bitty budget so the space itself was funded by our two directors so donations would continue to go exactly where they always have: caring for the tomato cats.
As you can imagine this was a huge undertaking. Opening any brick-and-mortar space is a lot of work, but creating one specifically for kitty cats with varying needs is a whole different kind of adventure. Unfortunately, we only got the chance to introduce it to a handful of people before it became clear that the property had been misrepresented to us. Even with as much as we had poured into it, we just didn’t feel comfortable continuing to operate there. We chose to shut it down after just ten months, but in that short time we accomplished more than we ever thought possible and saved some of the most complex and critical kitties we’d ever taken on. It really showed what a brighter future for these kitties could look like and was a defining chapter for our little club. Obviously leaving meant losing the proof of concept we thought would be the foundation for our capital campaign, but it was the right decision and we’re grateful to have learned early on that it is actually necessary to have ownership of any space these lives depend on.
We took a lot of time to regroup, reflect and try to figure out the best way forward and looking back even now, we are still unbelievably grateful to have the most incredible supporters and foster team any rescue could ever hope for, which made pivoting when we needed to possible. Naturally, we’ve had to reduce our intake for special needs cases who don’t have any other outlet, which has been the most painful part of this setback, as well as pushing our brick-and-mortar dreams out by several years. But every step forward brings us closer to something lasting and sustainable.
At that time we didn’t quite know what the way forward would look like, but we knew that if we couldn’t bring the community in to meet the tomato cats we do all of this for we had to find a way to bring them to you. And when we did, y’all showed up. Every time. Again and again. Without even knowing what we had been through or how much showing up meant for us and the future of this little rescue. Honestly, we’re still not sure how we got so lucky, but there just isn’t a world where we’d be able to keep showing up for these odd little kitty cats without y’all.
In rescue, things rarely go as planned, but our goal is the same now as it was then, except maybe even more pink: to create a safe haven for the most underserved kitties so they can get the care they deserve in a safe, loving environment for however long they need it. For some, that means a lifetime sanctuary. For others, it’s the place where their second chance becomes the start of the rest of their life. We can’t wait for the day we can open our doors for good.
You can help us get there at tomatoclub.org/sanctuary-fund 💖
