About The Sanctuary
Catskill Animal Sanctuary is a 120-acre farmed animal sanctuary in New York’s Hudson Valley, providing lifelong refuge to rescued cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other farmed animals who have survived cruelty, neglect, and abandonment. Catskill Animal Sanctuary is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Located in Saugerties, NY, about 100 miles north of New York City and 40 miles southwest of Albany, our sanctuary sits near the Catskill Mountains, a region known for its natural beauty, hiking trails, and vibrant arts and music culture.
Founded in 2001 by educator and author Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary has been home to more than 5,000 rescued animals over the past 25 years. Here, every individual is seen, respected, and cared for according to their unique needs. Our work is grounded in a simple but powerful truth: every animal values their life, seeks safety and joy, and deserves to be treated with dignity and compassionate care.
If we’ve learned anything from our rescues, it’s the life-altering truth that, “in the ways that matter, we are all the same.” Fear feels the same. Pain feels the same. Love feels the same. This belief in our shared “sameness” is what drives our work, alongside our faith in humanity’s capacity for goodness and our unwavering commitment to education and advocacy.
Catskill Animal Sanctuary is proud to be one of the world’s first and longest-running teaching sanctuaries. Each year, thousands of visitors of all ages come to meet the animals, hear their stories, and learn how everyday choices impact farmed animals, human health, and the planet. The impact is measurable: 94% of our non-vegan visitors report that they intend to reduce or eliminate animal products after their visit, proof that what we’re doing — combining love and urgency, connecting people with animals, and supporting people in their vegan journey — is working.
Come meet the animals. Come learn. Come be part of the change.
Catskill Animal Sanctuary rescues farmed animals, ignites social change to end their exploitation, and champions vegan living.
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Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS) was founded in 2001 by educator, author, and animal advocate Kathy Stevens. Raised on a horse farm in Virginia, Kathy developed an early respect for animals as individuals, a perspective that would later shape her approach to animal rescue and advocacy.
Kathy spent more than a decade as an English teacher, where she saw firsthand the power of education to inspire critical thinking and change. By 1999, she felt called to apply those skills beyond the classroom. Her guiding convictions were clear: to confront animal suffering, to educate with purpose, and to build a more compassionate relationship between humans and farmed animals.
That vision became Catskill Animal Sanctuary, one of the nation’s first teaching sanctuaries and now one of the longest-running farmed animal sanctuaries in the United States. From the beginning, the Sanctuary has combined large-scale farmed animal rescue with public education, humane advocacy, and a commitment to lifelong care.
Over the past 25 years, Catskill Animal Sanctuary has rescued more than 5,000 farmed animals, many of them victims of extreme cruelty, neglect, and abandonment. The sanctuary has worked alongside law enforcement, state police, and humane organizations to provide refuge for animals seized from abusive situations and failed or fraudulent operations.
Among its most notable rescues was a 2015 operation in Westport, Massachusetts, when Catskill Animal Sanctuary helped bring 111 animals to safety from one of the largest animal hoarding cases in U.S. history. In 2022, CAS rescued 42 sheep from a backyard slaughter operation in Ulster County, New York, providing urgent medical care, rehabilitation, and lifelong sanctuary.
Education has remained central to the mission. Through tours, programs, and storytelling, Catskill Animal Sanctuary invites visitors to meet rescued animals as individuals and to understand how human choices affect animals, human health, and the planet. This approach has helped define the modern teaching sanctuary movement.
Kathy Stevens is also the author of Where the Blind Horse Sings and Animal Camp, books that reflect her belief in empathy, storytelling, and the transformative power of human–animal connection. Today, Catskill Animal Sanctuary stands as a leader in farmed animal rescue, education, and advocacy, built on the conviction that compassion, when paired with action, can change lives.
In 2025, Kathy Stevens retired as Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s Executive Director, passing leadership of the sanctuary to Sam Moon. Sam brings more than 15 years of experience leading mission-driven nonprofit organizations, with a background spanning animal advocacy, environmental justice, and human rights. Prior to joining Catskill Animal Sanctuary, they held senior leadership roles at Animal Outlook and at the NYU School of Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice.
Under Sam’s leadership, Catskill Animal Sanctuary is entering its next chapter with a focus on long-term sustainability, expanded education and advocacy, and continued leadership in farmed animal rescue. Grounded in the sanctuary’s founding values and guided by a forward-looking vision, CAS remains committed to protecting animals, challenging how society views farmed animals, and building a more compassionate and just world for all beings.
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