Headed For Furever Inc

Every day, countless innocent cats suffer in silence, left to fend for themselves in harsh outdoor conditions, or worse, in neglectful environments where their very lives hang in the balance. At Headed For Furever Inc., we are on a heartfelt mission to change this awful reality. As a non-profit animal rescue located in Scottsville, NY, our sole purpose is to rescue, rehabilitate, and find loving forever homes for these vulnerable feline friends.

But we desperately need your help! Since the announcement of a life changing grant that we'll get into below, our donations have totally stopped. We are buried in medical bills, jumping hurdle after hurdle with the construction of our adoption center, and struggling to just stay afloat. Truth be told, yesterday our rescue account had only $56 dollars in it. Our heart is heavy, knowing that while we have the capacity to save lives, we lack the necessary funds to provide urgent medical care for the cats already in our care. We are in danger of closing our doors to urgent medical cases and never seeing the completion our adoption center. This is weighing so heavy on us, especially during the holiday season where we strive to bring so many home for their first holidays.

With your support, we aim to finish the new adoption center that will not only transform the lives of countless cats but will also be a sanctuary for healing and hope. This facility will enable us to provide them the care they deserve and allow families to connect with them in ways that simply aren't possible in our current foster-based system. These lives are at stake—together, we can make a difference that lasts a lifetime.

Before reading on, you can check us out, and see some of the furry faces you'll help save on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HeadedForFurever?mibextid=ZbWKwL) or Instagram (@headedforfurever).

The Need:

While we are immensely grateful for the $250,000 Golisano grant, which is distributed at $62,500 per year for four years, recent media coverage has led to a misconception that we received this funding as a lump sum upfront. This false perception has not only resulted in a significant amount of ridicule, judgement, and misunderstanding for us to endure daily, but a drop in donations to almost none. This has created an urgent need for financial support as we face unexpected costs due to changing regulations, laws, and so many unforeseen complications with out building.

What initially felt like winning the lottery with the grant has quickly turned into a nightmare, as we struggle to keep ourselves afloat. We were counting on the NYS Companion Animal Capital Fund to help us complete our adoption center, but we recently learned that we are ineligible for this grant because our building is located on residential property. This grant was designed to assist rescues in complying with new laws by December 2025 that holds us to the same stringent standards as larger organizations. Without the government funding meant to help us achieve these standards, we fear we will not be able to continue to operate.

We are currently working to explore options to become eligible for this funding, but the process will take more time and resources than we can gather to meet the December 20th deadline. We are uncertain if or when there will be another funding round available.

When we created our budget we incorporated a cushion for extra costs, but nothing could have prepared us to have every single portion of the constuction complicated in some way.

Elevated Foundation: We had to hire an engineer and surveyor to install an elevated foundation due to new DEC flood zone laws, which added $9,000 to our expenses.

Insulation Requirements: To comply with residential energy conservation codes, we must spray foam the entire structure instead of using fiberglass insulation, costing an additional $8,600.

Window Replacement: We discovered that the windows installed were single pane rather than double pane as initially promised, requiring us to replace all 16 windows at a cost of $13,000.

HVAC Installation: The mandatory installation of HVAC systems adds another $7,600 to our budget.

ADA Compliant Ramp: We’re committed to making our facility accessible, so we're building a floating patio/ramp for $5,800.

Electric: At this time we are facing a $3000 minimum for National Grid to just set the pole for the electric. This is because it is a second service and the pole on the property is not accessible from the shelter.

Additional Costs: There are further expenses for running water lines, purchasing a generator, and purchasing specific flooring/walls to ensure compliance with other Department of Agriculture regulations.

The Adoption Center:

Our new adoption center will more than double our intake capacity, providing a safe and engaging environment where cats can thrive as they await their forever homes. Equipped with dedicated rooms for play and interaction, the center will host fundraising events and volunteer activities, allowing interested families to meet multiple cats in one location and find their perfect match.

This facility will significantly increase our adoption rates, freeing up space in foster homes and enabling us to rescue more cats from the streets. For instance, our recent open houses during our trial run had more adoptions in one event than we would have in a month. This has shown us the power of personal interaction in finding homes for our cats, and reinforced the everlasting benefit our adoption center will have.

The Feline Crisis:

The need for our services has never been more pressing. It is estimated that there are 30-40 million free-roaming homeless cats nationwide, comprising both feral and friendly cats. According to the Humane Society of the United States, a healthy, adoptable, and friendly cat is euthanized every thirteen seconds, translating to approximately 1.4 million cats per year due to inadequate shelter space and a shortage of available homes.

By the time you read this, fifty cats will have died without the help they desperately need. Once a cat enters a shelter, it faces only a 41% chance of euthanasia versus a 37% chance of adoption. Female cats can have their first litter as young as four months of age, often delivering three litters a year with an average of four to six kittens each. This means a single cat can produce an astonishing 4,900 new cats in just seven years. Unfortunately, on average, only 25% of kittens born outside will survive to six months, while the remaining 75% will suffer horrific fates due to disease, starvation, predators, traffic, and severe weather conditions. Our primary focus in on TNVR and saving cats from the brutal colony life. In our area of Rochester it is estimated that only 2% of cats living outside are spayed/neutered.

The only way to break this cycle of suffering is to provide essential TNVR services.

Who We Are:

Founded in January 2020, we have rescued nearly 2,000 friendly cats and sterilized over 500 feral cats through our TNVR program. We focus on providing necessary medical care, often rescuing cats suffering from severe injuries and illnesses. Our commitment is rooted in compassion and a desire to create a better future for every cat in our care.

Our current foster-based model restricts interaction opportunities for families wishing to adopt. The new center will alleviate this barrier, nurturing the cats’ personalities and increasing the likelihood they will find loving homes.

Our Miracle Stories:

At Headed For Furever, we take over 90% of our cats from outdoor colonies, along with those rescued from hoarding and abuse/neglect situations. Our work often leads us to cats with increased medical needs due to parasites, diseases, and physical injuries, and therefor increased cost of our veterinary bills. Each cat we’ve rescued comes with its own unique story of survival and resilience, and we are proud of the miracles we’ve witnessed.

We would love to share some of our biggest miracle stories and pictures with you soon! From cats who were once suffering on the streets to those who found healing after traumatic experiences, these inspiring transformations showcase the importance of our work. Your support will not only help us continue rescuing but also allow us to share these heartwarming tales of success with you and our community.

Donations:

Words cannot express how thankful we are for the amazing support we have received from our community over the past 5 years. Our gift from the Golisano Foundation has shown us the light in the dark, and granted us the motivation to continue on with the knowledge that there are so many amazing people on this journey with us. Every single donations big or small brings us one step closer to getting back on the road to saving as many deserving lives as we can.

If you prefer to donate directly to us rather than through GoFundMe, we greatly appreciate it! As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donations are 100% tax-deductible. Here are some options for donating directly:

Venmo: Headed For Furever under the business category or https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3252697079742464481

PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/headedforfurever

Mailing Address:

Headed For Furever

4373 River Road

Scottsville, NY 14546

Facebook: Use the "Donate" button at the top of our page.

With heartfelt gratitude,

The Headed For Furever Team

On July 6th our rescue van was totalled in a freak accident when it was struck by a fallen tree. This van is our lifeline in rescue, and is the only means of transportation we have for our rescue cats. Without it, we can not continue to operate in nearly the same capacity.

It was an essential purchase I made with personal funds when our rescue began to grow so quickly. We are fortunate to partner with some amazing vets, however they are anywhere from 30-60 miles from us one way. Since our foundation we have saved and found homes for over 1500 friendly cats and provided spay, neuter, and vaccine services to over 500 ferals.

We have been able to accomplish such large numbers only because our veterinary partners are willing to give us 20-30 appointments in one single day. Without our van to transport so many cats to the vet in we will drastically have to decrease the amount we commit to. Every cat that comes through our doors recieves spay/neuter, rabies and distemper vaccines, combo testing, deworming, flea treatment, and microchip. Our vets that provide these services aren't right down the road where we could take multiple trips on different days. We have to be able to transport them in large numbers for the interest of both our and our vets time.

Transporting friendly cats in our personal vehicles or volunteers vehicles isn't ideal, but we have really ran into the biggest issue with the feral cats. These cats are wild, angry, smelly, and dirty. They are also in large humane traps that take up a lot of space. If you've ever smelled un-neutered male cat pee or parasite ridden explosive diarrhea, you'll understand why putting these cats in vehicles intended for daily personal use just isn't possible. No matter how many layers of protection is put down that smell just absorbs and sticks to the fabric inside anyone's car.

Our van sustained $7066 in damages, deeming it a total loss. Thankfully, our GAP insurance paid off the remaining balance of our loan. We planned to retain the van and restore it to basic functionality, but in order to use our GAP and not be left with a balance we were forced to relinquish it. Paying off the balance of the loan plus repairs would have left us in a very deep hole.

We have been working with a dealership who are willing to help us purchase a cargo van that will meet all of our needs to keep saving so many lives. However, with the adoption center coming soon and the medical cats we have been buried in we don't have a penny to put towards it.

We are praying that by some miracle our community can once again come together and help us avoid closing our doors for good. No transportation means no ability to provide basic veterinary care. Without access to veterinary care we cannot commit to saving another life.

It is with broken and desperate hearts that we humbly ask for any support to replace our detrimental loss. Every single dollar counts.

Thank you.

Help us make their dream a reality!

Headed for Furever is an amazing non-profit organization that does great work rescuing cats and managing feral cat populations. Having a physical location would be a huge advantage for them, as it would enable them to expand their impact on the community and provide better rehabilitation for rescued cats. It would also make it easier for people to find their perfect fur-ever friend.

This rescue makes a real difference in the lives of animals and the people who love them.

Here is why this next step is so important to them...

As a small foster home-based rescue, the most common question we get is " ?"

We don't currently have a space where we can do sit-down meet and greets. Our cats are spread out in the Rochester area. This has been a HUGE barrier to our adoption rates.

:

Open visiting hours for walk-in meet and greets.

Host fundraisers and adoption events.

A space that accepts volunteers to help us care for the cats.

The ability to accommodate youth community service projects.

Guests can just pop in and play with the kittens!

Overall, just a cozy space where we can save more lives AND allow visitors!

We understand that most people want to come meet their prospective new family members. We agree that cats truly pick their people! We would love to provide a location where the possibilities of forming a furever connection are endless.

Thankfully, we already have the land to place a small structure like this. We also have the manpower and skills to insulate, drywall, and run electricity for heat and air conditioning.

We plan to have a few separate foster rooms for families of cats, indoor kitten catios, and add catios for outside playtime as well. The pawsibilities of what we could do with a cabin like this are endless!

Fundraising for a building like this is no small ask. This is a huge investment. However, we are confident that it will bring great success in increasing adoption rates with a new "open door" policy!

We are hopeful to gain our community's support in constructing this small adoption center. We are 501c3 and tax deductible! With a goal of this size, every donated dollar brings us one step closer to our kitty cabin.

Just a fraction of the cats that are now living out the rest of their days with all the love they deserve thanks to Headed for Furever...