MILWAUKEE — Expect plenty of sweet moments when Almost Home Cat Rescue is fully up and running.
President Nancy Duwe says everything started about two years ago with people who love cats.
“They’re always that wild side to cats and I guess that’s what draws me to them,” she says. “They’re always hunting. They’re always looking. They’re always adventurous.”
Nancy and the other founders wanted to do more for their feisty feline friends.
“They had been working at shelters and there weren’t enough facilities or resources for kitties, in their minds,” she says.
So they formed their own cat rescue. After a lot of work and fundraising, their new location on Ogden Avenue in Milwaukee is almost complete.
Mel Kleverova-Zillox is the Animal Welfare Officer for Almost Home Cat Rescue, and gave a tour of the new facility.
“If [the cats] are sick or they’re unknown, we can take them directly into our quarantine area,” she says, showing off Almost Home’s medical suite.
Mel wants the shelter to feel secure and home, right down to the “comfort suites” the cats stay in.
“Their living area is separate from dining and toileting and that allows them to have designated space so it’s more comfortable for them,” Mel says.
It’s all part of Almost Home’s commitment to being a fear-free shelter.
“Which is basically showing people how to identify fear, anxiety and stress in animals and then how to handle them with compassion,” Mel explains.
That approach is crucial for a lot of the kitties here – especially the ones who are under-socialized or not socialized at all.
“That’s one of the reasons we spend so much time on behavior work because I have, in my entire career and life working with animals, have not met a kitty that can’t make it,” Mel says.
And in the end, all that work is well worth it.
Nancy says, “I would have them all, if I could!”
Almost Home Cat Rescue is run completely by volunteers who always need help! If you’d like to chip in, visit this link: https://www.almosthomemke.com/
