Help Us Be Prepared for Animals in Need

Can you imagine a world where no animal goes hungry, lives in fear, or suffers from birth to death on a farm? We can! We see a glimpse of it each day at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, where hundreds of animals  thrive after recovering from unthinkable abuses. They know the true meaning of compassion. They help us teach supporters how to take the next step, no matter where they are in their journey, to living more compassionately. Since 2001, nearly 3,500 animals have called CAS home. Their individual stories of hope and healing are as unique as you or I. One of our most dramatic stories of recovery belongs to Noah. Maybe you’ve seen his first tentative steps outside his stall on our YouTube channel, after he’d been locked away in a stall for years. We weren’t sure if he’d make a full recovery, or recover at all for that matter, when he arrived in January 2008. His hooves were so overgrown they had twisted sideways, and he’d been wearing the blanket draped over his skeletal figure for so long that it was disintegrating. Fast forward to January 2014. Noah has been thriving at CAS for 6 years. At 27 years old, he’s a senior resident — a “lifer” at the sanctuary — and one who reminds us daily not to give up hope, to keep working so that no animal suffers as he did. Hank was an amazing teacher. A “broiler” bird, Hank was engineered to grow much faster and much larger than chickens naturally would. We knew our time with him would be short — the genetic manipulation humans have done to his breed would reduce his lifespan to just a few years. Still, knowing that billions like him are killed every year before they’re two months old, it was our privilege to give him the chance to thrive, and thrive he did. He was affectionate, proud, joyful, and protective. He adored our Animal Care Coordinator Jenn Mackey, wrapping his wings around her shoulders in a protective embrace. In his four years at CAS (he far outlived the one year life expectancy of engineered birds), Hank opened thousands of hearts and minds. Not only to the reality of our food production system, but also to important little-known truths —- that chickens are as individual as cats, as affectionate as dogs, and as intelligent as toddlers. We depend on support from people like you so we can continue to provide food and medical care to our animal residents, to expand our rescue program, and to provide perception-shattering education programs. That encourage people to hasten their journey toward a compassionate lifestyle. Providing daily care, food, hay, and vet care to over 300 animals is no small task! As we expand our facilities we’ll be ready to welcome more animals from the most desperate situations, but we can’t do it alone. We hope we can  count on you once again to continue this essential work, and be ready to say YES when we get the next urgent call. Together, we can make the world more compassionate for everyone. Warm wishes, Kathy Stevens Founder/Director P.S. Donations of any size help the animals.