Help Make Our Building a Home
Caring for Cats is an all-volunteer, no-kill cat shelter in North St. Paul, Minnesota.
Last year, we had a big surprise. Someone reached out and gave us some incredible news ...
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One of our supporters, Candi Christenson, passed away and left us in her will. The amount she left was sizeable enough to realize a long-time dream for our organization -- the dream of owning our own building.
Founded over 20 years ago, Caring for Cats is financially solvent, which is no small task for an all-volunteer organization.
We have a massively dedicated volunteer base. We are organized, fiscally responsible, and of course, passionate about helping cats find their forever homes.
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Candi's generosity meant that we would no longer have to lease a space. We could buy a building and start creating the most cat-centric shelter in the state.
And so we got to work.
We bought an old affordable building.
We gutted the interior, framed out new walls, and put up sheetrock.
We made it state-of-the-art with sustainability, our kitties' happiness, and our kitties' health, first and foremost in mind.
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Be Part of Our Mission
Your involvement would mean the world to our organization. We have a beautiful building, and your donation to our Crowdfunding Campaign will help turn it into a home.
One of our specialties at Caring for Cats is working with shy kitties and cats who haven't been socialized (for example, strays or cats who have come from hoarding situations).
We prefer to call ourselves a "life-affirming" shelter, rather than a "no-kill" shelter, but the result is the same. Kitties aren't discarded just because they need more time to find their forever homes.
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Every cat in our care gets a complete medical exam, spayed or neutered (if they are not already spayed or neutered), microchipped, and we even take care of dental care. But our care goes far beyond the physical. Our volunteers are in the shelter every day, playing with the kitties and socializing them. We take care of their emotional needs too.
We are looking to create a shelter from "the cats' point of view," and you are a big part of that mission. Your donation will help make a shelter that will be an example for other shelters all over the country.
Together we can do it, AND have some fun along the way!
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Please Share
We appreciate your financial support with this campaign, and we also appreciate you sharing our message. Please share this campaign with your friends and any cat lover you know. Together, we can make this happen!
Candi's generosity left a legacy that will stand for decades to come. We hope you join us and leave your legacy too.
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Consider Our Elite Perks
NOTE: ALL of our "Perk Levels" are located in the right-hand column (if you're on a desktop computer) or at the top if you are on a phone or tablet.
The section below only details our Elite Perk Levels. We wanted to break these out and give you more details because Indigogo doesn't give us very much space to explain each perk level. We thought it might be nice to detail some of our Elite Perk Levels here.
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Sponsor a Kennel
$1,000 Donation: Because we are a free-roam shelter, the kennels play an essential part in each room. When kitties first enter the adoption floor, they spend their first couple of days in a kennel in the room. The kennel's safe environment gives them time to acclimate to the shelter's new smells and sounds. During the daytime hours, the volunteers let the new kitty out of the kennel (supervised), so he or she can get used to the other furry residents.
Kennels are also important because sometimes kitties like a place where they can hide out and "get away from it all."
The perks at this level of support are:
- Facebook and Newsletter Recognition;
- The Caring for Cats Logo-Engraved Laser Pointer Pen;
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Sweatshirt (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- AND Your name, your pet's name, or a memorial tribute engraved on a metal plate on the kennel (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
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Sponsor a Window
$2,500 Donation: One of the challenges with being a shelter in the city is that our windows face other buildings. Therefore, we have to be more creative in making the windows more interesting to our kitties. We have several ideas on how to do this, including adding plants, bird feeders, and other stimuli.
When you donate at this level, in addition to helping us recoup the cost of the window, we will use part of your donation to add these features to our window areas.
The perks at this level of support are:
- Facebook and Newsletter Recognition;
- The Caring for Cats Logo-Engraved Laser Pointer Pen;
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Jacket (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
AND Your name, your pet's name, or a memorial tribute engraved on a plate next to the window (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
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Sponsor an Inner Room
$5,000 Donation: We have seven inner rooms in the shelter. A few of these inner rooms house kitties who don't like to be around other cats. They are affectionately known as "Diva Kitties" because they get their own room. Two of the rooms house our shy kitties who need more time to acclimate to humans. Two of the rooms have a connecting door. Sometimes this door is left open to create one bigger "party room."
Because we are a cat-centric shelter, these inner rooms allow us to cater to the cat's individual needs rather than the other way around.
At this level of support, there is an added bonus. Due to Covid restrictions, we've been closed to the public, except by appointment. Donors at this level will receive a private group tour of the new shelter, complete with wine and cheese, prior to our public opening. Caring for Cats will schedule this tour after Covid precautions are lifted, and of course, the tour includes time with our kitties!
The perks at this level of support are:
- Facebook and Newsletter Recognition;
- The Caring for Cats Logo-Engraved Laser Pointer Pen;
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" T-Shirt (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Jacket (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- AND Your name, your pet's name, or a memorial tribute engraved on a plate inside the inner room (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
- A private "wine-and-cheese" group tour of the new shelter before we are open to the general public.
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Sponsor an ISO Room
$5,000 Donation: NOTE: ONE of these has already been claimed.
We have two Isolation (ISO) rooms in the shelter. One of the rooms is for incoming residents. Many times cats entering the shelter are disoriented or grieving, or even angry. They are in a new environment and aren't sure why they're there. It's our strong desire to make this transition as smooth as possible for them.
The other ISO room is for our current residents who need medical treatment. Both rooms have a state-of-the-art air filtration system to keep the air in those rooms separate from the air in the rest of the shelter. This filtration system ensures the safety of all of our guests.
Every cat who is in our facility receives a complete medical exam, spay or neutering, medical treatment as needed, microchipping, and dental examinations. This level of care is possible because of donors like you.
One special note about this perk: Our ISO area is not open to the public, and so your name plate will only be seen by volunteers and not the general public.
The perks at this level of support are:
- Facebook and Newsletter Recognition;
- The Caring for Cats Logo-Engraved Laser Pointer Pen;
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" T-Shirt (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Jacket (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- AND Your name, your pet's name, or a memorial tribute engraved on a plate inside the ISO room (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
- A private "wine-and-cheese" group tour of the new shelter before we are open to the general public.
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Sponsor the Cat Tales Area
$3,750 Donation AND $3,750 Employer MATCH: This Perk has been claimed!
Our award-winning Cat Tales program is one of the jewels of our shelter. In this program, kids ages 6-13 can set appointments to read to our kitties.
Reading to the cats helps kids improve their reading skills because our kitties don't judge. The interaction with the kids is good for the socialization of our furry friends too. It's a true win-win situation.
Our Cat Tales Area is just darling. Painted in a bright color, it houses books, kid-sized furniture, and blankets, and it's the first stop when the kids enter the shelter. They choose the book they want to read (if they haven't brought one of their own) and find a four-legged friend who wants to hear them read.
At this level of support, there is an added bonus. Due to Covid restrictions, we've been closed to the public, except by appointment. Donors at this level will receive a private group tour of the new shelter, complete with wine and cheese, prior to our public opening. Caring for Cats will schedule this tour after Covid precautions are lifted, and of course, the tour includes time with our kitties!
The perks at this level of support are:
- Facebook and Newsletter Recognition;
- The Caring for Cats Logo-Engraved Laser Pointer Pen;
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Sweatshirt (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Jacket (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- A 4" x 8" Tile on our Legacy Wall (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
- AND Your name, your pet's name, or a memorial tribute engraved on a plate inside the inner room (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
- A private "wine-and-cheese" group tour of the new shelter before we are open to the general public;
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Sponsor one of our Main Rooms
$10,000 Donation: Simply put, our main rooms are spectacular! Each room has a nearly floor-to-ceiling window that lets in the light and showcases our beautiful new shelter.
These main rooms are the first stop for our visitors too, because often, our friendliest cats are in those rooms, ready to greet our supporters. When you sponsor one of these rooms, you are sponsoring the showcase rooms of our shelter.
At this level of support, there is an added bonus. Due to Covid restrictions, we've been closed to the public, except by appointment. Donors at this level will receive a private group tour of the new shelter, complete with wine and cheese, prior to our public opening. Caring for Cats will schedule this tour after Covid precautions are lifted, and of course, the tour includes time with our kitties!
The perks at this level of support are:
- Facebook and Newsletter Recognition;
- The Caring for Cats Logo-Engraved Laser Pointer Pen;
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" T-Shirt (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Sweatshirt (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- The Exclusive Caring for Cats "I Left A Legacy" Jacket (in the color and size of your choice.) You can't get this anywhere!
- An 8"x8" Tile on our Legacy Wall (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
- AND Your name, your pet's name, or a memorial tribute engraved on a plate inside one of our main rooms (with three lines of text, 20 characters per line.)
- A private "wine-and-cheese" group tour of the new shelter before we are open to the general public.
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We Appreciate You
We appreciate you taking the time to consider donating to this campaign at any level. Supporters like you make it possible for us to deliver an extraordinary level of care and find forever homes for kitties who may not have made it in other shelters.
Thank you from all of us (with fur and without.)
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