Midwest Pet Refuge

10/30/2026

Thirteen years ago today, Midwest Pet Refuge opened its doors, and we've been busy ever since.

In that time we've taken in, rescued, and helped more than 2,300 animals. We've also helped more animals and their people than we could ever count, with food, advice, and all the other things that come up when someone is trying to do right by their pet.

Right now we have more than 260 animals in our care, including cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and a chinchilla. About 50 are in foster homes, and the rest are living it up at the rescue.

None of that happens without you. Our supporters, fosters, adopters, volunteers, and donors are the reason any of this is possible. Thank you for showing up, again and again, for 13 years.

If you've ever thought about getting involved, we always need fosters and volunteers, and even an hour of your time makes a difference. Donations keep the lights on and the food bowls full too. 💜

10/29/2026

Cat shelter season is here, and we have supplies to help. 💜

We have a stack of foam coolers that make great outdoor shelters for cats. They're yours for a $5 donation each.

To turn one into a shelter, cut a hole on one of the long sides, off to one side rather than centered, so cats can get in and out while staying out of the wind. Weigh it down with a brick and loosely fill it with deep straw so they can burrow in.

We also have plenty of heat reflective pads that bounce body heat back to the animal. They work great inside the coolers, in other shelters, or in dog houses. Lay one under the straw or line the walls and top to help them stay toasty.

Small (12" x 18") is $1
Large (24" x 30") is $2
Jumbo (30" x 40") is $2

Stop in and grab some before it gets really cold.

10/27/2026

10/27/2026

In honor of National Black Cat Day, we'd like to share some of our adoptable house panthers with you. These babies all come spayed/ neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and treated for fleas and worms.
Admire these pretty faces, and put in your application online at www.midwestpetrefuge.com

Comment with your favorite void photos.

10/27/2026

Join us in the bookstore Friday five to eight p.m.!

10/26/2026

Update: As we suspected, it is not good news.

He tested positive for both feline leukemia and FIV. They even tested twice to make sure.
He was also an older cat, and his kidneys were very shrunken, which indicates advanced kidney disease. With all of these things adding up, we had no choice but peacefully let him go. 💔

The only good thing is, he is not laying outside suffering any longer.

Here we go again…

We just picked up a stray cat who is in rough shape. Very sick, completely emaciated, and barely able to stand. This is the thinnest one I’ve seen in a long time, no muscle tone left at all. The only time he moves much is in short bursts of fear, and then he basically collapses in exhaustion. I'm sitting at the vet with him now, waiting to hear what we're dealing with.

The last picture was from a Facebook post from someone who found him 3 days ago, but nobody claimed him or took him in.

We've had so many of these this summer, more than ever. I'll be honest, it's wearing on all of us. But this cat is warm, safe, fed and in the right hands now, and that's where it starts.

We'll update when we know more. Good thoughts for this little one are welcome. We will either be able to help him, or to ease his suffering. 💜

If you can help with the many vet bills we’ve had from these emergencies, donations are so appreciated.

Of course you can always drop off a donation at Cat Tales Bookstore/ Midwest Pet Refuge, located at 601 North Charles Street Portland, Indiana, Tuesday through Saturday from 12 till at least 4 and until at least 6 PM on Fridays.

By credit card on our website: www.midwestpetrefuge.com

PayPal donation: [email protected]

Venmo:

Mail a check: 601 N. Charles St., Portland, IN 47371

Pay on our accounts at Nose to Tail or Portland Vet Clinic.

10/25/2026

10/24/2026

Meet Pie. 💜

We got a call late last night while we were open for Fourth Friday. A deer hunter had found a kitten in the woods, nowhere near any houses. He got out of his truck and she came running right up to him and climbed his body all the way to his neck. She was starving, filthy, and had a broken foot.

She weighed 2 lbs 12 oz at intake. A kitten her age should be at least 5 lbs. Her thick black and white hair hides it, but when you pet her, all you feel is bones.

We took her to the vet this morning. Her back foot was broken when she was younger, right at the knuckles. It has mostly healed, so there isn’t much they can do, and she will probably always have a limp. Otherwise he says she looks OK. She just needs to be fed slowly to regain her weight.

She is so sweet and so people oriented, and that is what saved her. She didn’t hide. She ran to the only person she had seen in a while and asked for help. Thankfully he was kind and did just that. Her ears are clean, she has no fleas, and her white fur is filthy from trying to survive, so we think she was an indoor cat at one point. She isn’t microchipped, and nobody has posted looking for her.

With all of this, we keep thinking about how many cats and kittens get dumped like this and are never found. In the last month and a half, we have taken in at least 7 cats and kittens and one dog who were dumped or abandoned and in bad shape. Pie ran to a stranger for help, but what if he hadn’t stopped? She wouldn’t have lasted much longer, and she had no idea where to go. And what about the ones who aren’t friendly or confident enough to ask?

We have domesticated cats, and many of them need us to survive. Some people figure they’ll be fine on their own because feral cats exist, but most outdoor cats have very short lives, and far fewer than half of kittens born outside make it to their first birthday.

Please don’t dump animals. Many of them do not survive. 💔