Support Odd Paws Rescue's Catio Project

Hey there!

Odd Paws Rescue, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit licensed animal rescue in Athens, GA. My name is Scarlet, and the rescue operates out of my property.

At the moment, our "kitten house" is a 12x20 climate controlled outbuilding behind my house. It has a small enclosed porch area that acts as an "airlock" to ensure that no kitties escape when I'm going in and out to feed everyone and clean. The kitties LOVE that porch, though. Now that the weather is nicer, I've been leaving the main door open so they can just lounge on it all day, and lounge they do- until I shoo them inside to lock up for the night.

This fundraiser is to help us build an 8x14 catio extension off the side of the kitten house. The catio will be built by Catio Bob, who is, as his name suggests, the #1 catio expert around. He's worked with the local cat cafe and countless other rescues to build the perfect environment to keep kitties happy, and he's the perfect person for this job. He has also given us a HUGE discount for being a nonprofit rescue- well over $1000 off the price!

I paid for the kitten house, hiring a company to finish the interior (insulation, walls, etc), wiring the electric, everything out of my own savings to start this rescue. I also cover food, vet bills, more than doubled utility costs for my property, etc. out of my pocket, and I spend the majority of every day caring for the kittens, cleaning, dealing with behind the scenes nonprofit tedium, and going to vet appointments. I have been beyond blessed by many wonderful, cat-loving friends and internet denizens who have donated a bunch to our vet bill costs and helped a lot, and I am beyond grateful. However, I am still almost $20k in the hole in my savings from the construction and startup costs, so here I am to ask for help with this final quality of life touch to give our rescue kitties the space and life they deserve for the duration of the time they spend here at Odd Paws Rescue.

The catio will extend a couple feet beyond the right side window of the kitten house, go out 8 feet into the yard, and come all the way up to meet the front of the porch. We will be removing the right railing and mesh from the porch airlock and adding a 2-piece door and there will be window cat-flap access to the catio areas from the front right window and the back right window. This will enable the kittens to either run around the entirety of the two spaces, inside and out, or allow me to lock everyone in the catio space only so I can air out and deep clean the airlock and inside areas, which I have to do at least 1x per week to keep everything sterile and sanitary. It will also give us at least 2 more litter box areas that I can clean from outside, lots of climbing/vertical space areas for enrichment, and more space for potential adopters to meet and interact with the kittens where they are comfortable.

While the inside space and the airlock area are fairly roomy, there's not really enough space for kittens to run around and be themselves as they grow bigger, and they have very little vertical space. I also have to fit our fridge, quarantine cages, office setup, and store all of the carriers, food, medicine, files, cleaning and grooming supplies, and everything else. When kittens hit that 7-8 week mark, it feels a little cramped. Also, we are heading into Georgia summer, and leaving the door open so the kittens can sit on the airlock porch has let in some unwelcome guests, like mosquitos, flies, and ants, which I am currently at war with. Having an area that they can access via window cat doors will greatly reduce the insect world's opportunities to invade and make my life hell.

I will update this page with photos and videos in the coming weeks- it will probably be a little bare at launch, as I'm setting everything up in between bottle feedings and cleaning. Thank you for taking the time to read this and maybe supporting a small rescue as we try to do right by the animals in our care.

Catio Bob's website

Odd Paws Instagram (most updated site)

I am no artist, pardon my scribbles, but here's an approximation of how much space the catio will add (over 50%! )