Animal Rescue Connections

My husband and I have fed ferals in our backyard for years. Over time some disappear and others stay and have babies. We knew we needed to do something but it truly was overwhelming. We didn’t know where to start or how to do it. This “kitten season” left us with oodles of kittens and me with some newborns to bottle feed. While seeking help on how to do that, I was introduced to ARC. They put me in touch with the ladies at TNR. In no time, we had a volunteer over to help us trap our purr babies. She taught us how to do it when she wasn’t here and we became pretty good at it. Our numbers had increased exponentially! We trapped 30 cats and kittens! They were not only spayed and neutered, they were doctored and made well. Some of our babies are getting to have a forever home through adoption. The rest are back home to our little colony by the lake. The boys are so calm and the girls are just girls. Happy and content.
These ladies who helped us throughout this whole process are volunteers! They give of themselves so selflessly all for the sake of feral cats and kittens. When my husband and I would trap one, one of the ladies would drop everything and come pick it up and take it to the shelter no matter what time it was. I really feel that I’ve met true angels on earth. They gave us peace of mind and happy purr babies.

It was a sad Friday when we had to say goodbye to our feline friend of 7 years. It was the following Monday that my daughter went to Petsmart at 281 & Evans and spoke with one of the awesome ARC ladies. She shared our story and was shown a photo of a cat that was getting prepared for adoption (hadn't had all of his vaccinations yet). My daughter was so excited about the possibilities that she texted me right away and I filled out the application. The application is lengthy but so important; it shows that this organization is doing their best to make sure their cats find loving homes. The application was approved and we set the appointment. The only difficult part was the waiting! Each of the ladies we spoke to/emailed gave detailed information and were genuinely concerned about the well-being of the cats. I gladly signed the "cat adoption contract". There are so many ways you can see that ARC genuinely wants the best for their cats. I'm honored to have been chosen by the cat I wanted to adopt and be trusted by ARC to be a good cat parent. I highly recommend this organization.

I had befriended a mother cat along with one of her offspring some 9 months ago.
The young one became pregnant producing 4 kittens and after 2
weeks of nurturing I thankfully located Animal Rescue Connections. A representative from the organization came out taking all 5 for what, I'm certain, will be a better life for all. The volunteer I dealt with was a compassionate, knowledgeable individual and I have no regrets releasing these cats to her.

Amazing!! Genuinely concerned with the health and wellbeing of even the strays.
I could not have gotten control of the colony here without the help of Jenn and ARC.
A true blessing I am so thankful

Sharing our barn cat experience is very near and dear to our hearts thanks in particular to Jenny & ARC. This process was one of the easiest to follow because we LISTENED to all of her instructions on how to transition these cats. My mother heard about her and this organization and we quickly agreed to take on 4 barn cats. These four cats had been at the same property together prior to coming to our ranch in South Texas. I am happy to report that they are flourishing and we don’t have as many mice as we did chewing up the wires in our trucks. It’s a win win for them and for us. Although we are not able to pick them up, we know the bond we made with them while they were in their crates & snuggle boxes for 3 weeks has clicked because we see them traveling from the pole barn, horse barn and feed barn. We named them: Smokey, Batman, Charlie and Garfield! I HIGHLY encourage anyone reading this that has land of any size- call Jenny to get the details on how this program works. Thank you and God bless you for all that you do Jenny! If you can’t adopt then DONATE! Paula Coates / Malone Ranch Cotulla Texas

I'm a newspaper reporter so I first "met" Jenny Burgess several years ago when I wrote a brief article about controlling feral cat populations via trap/neuter/release. Didn't think about Animal Rescue Connections again until I wrote another article earlier this year in response to issues people were having with cat overpopulation in the community. THEN four ferals started hanging around my house in the country and we started feeding them. One was this gorgeous little tortie who quickly became very affectionate but seemed to have health issues (shaking, sneezing, not eating a lot). I spent at least two hours a day out in the garage, talking to her. Couldn't bring her inside, we have a menagerie and it would have been extremely traumatizing not to mention a little dangerous. My vet gave me antibiotics and flea pills since I couldn't catch her, but she did't get any better. Her ear was tipped, so I knew she had a rabies and spay. I called Jenny who kindly showed me how to work a trap. However, "Jordan" the tortie would walk up to the cage and spring the trap deliberately and lick her paws. This went on for a week and a half. She seemed increasingly lethargic. Jenny came over and picked the "feral" right up, said she had obviously been someone's pet at one time. All this time I'd worried the cat would fight if I picked her up. Jenny took Jordan to her vet, where she was treated with antibiotics for a puncture wound not clearly visible, x-rayed because her breathing was labored, and given shots. I do dogs but am not familiar with getting medicine into cats. Jenny took Jordan to her own house and nursed her back to health. She took the kitty to another vet for a second opinion and was told that when Jordan was in utero her mother probably contracted a virus that damaged the cerebellum, causing minor neurological issues that had nothing to do with intelligence. Of course now I am completely invested and love that cat, but bringing her into the house is not in the cat's best interest. Jenny spent a good half hour on the phone explaining how carefully they screen potential adopters, and follow up. So Jordan is going to go to a new, amazing home soon, to live a fabulous life instead of fending off predators in a weakened state. This is all due to Jenny and ARC. They are very highly regarded in the community, and the proof in that is this amazing woman went to bat for a very helpless animal in a community that's drowning in feral cats. Every life matters to ARC. Fast forward...Jenny could see three sets of feral ears peaking out of the bushes near my house. So now we're going to trap those kitties (yes, I named them Greyson, Blackberry and Drummer) and do a little TNR. Jenny Burgess is the Mother Teresa of the cat world. I can't say enough about ARC!!!

Wonderful organization and very professional staff. You can really tell that they care so much about the kitties and check up on them every couple of weeks. They are always available for questions or concerns. I am so impressed with how humane and kind they are. 5 stars.

We needed a barn cat. I was referred to this nonprofit by a friend. I called and I told the rep what I was looking for and what I needed. She knew exactly what i needed... 2 barn cats ;) she brought them over, set everything up and was available when we needed her.

I recently adopted one of ARC's cats for my daughter. I was very impressed with the level of attention that was given to my application, which helped us to adopt the right cat for our home. My daughter loves her new furry friend, and if we ever want to adopt another cat in the future, we will definitely contact ARC.

I'm so happy with and thankful for this group! ARC-Bulverde gave "Max" a new life! Max came through ARC's service as part of their community cats neutering program. ARC's loving and caring staff noticed that his eyes needed attention and gave him the care, surgery, and medicines he needed. Max had "entropion," a condition where the eyelashes are turned inwards ALL the time! Max had it in both eyes! I had noticed him to be a docile cat but I never knew he was in pain or, worse, depressed. Now that he's had surgery and can literally "see" the world, I can tell how down he was. Comparing the before and after, there's a huge difference in his mood and demeanor. I feel so bad for the time he was nearly blind, always looking down and missing out on the beauties of this world. Thanks to Jenny and the ARC volunteers, supporters, and vets, Max is now a happy, healthy cat who can live the life he deserves! This is a nonprofit that I'll support for as long as I can. Thank you, thank you!

I can't thank Jenny and ARC enough for coming to our rescue and helping us find the perfect new home for our two beloved cats that were not simply feral cats but more glorified indoor/outdoor cats. She spent many days and hours with me, getting to know my cats, their care, their personalities and our environment. Then she spent a tireless amount of hours sharing our boys, spending time with them to get to know them better and driving them out to a few different homes only to return with them saying it wasn't quite the right place for them. She found them the perfect home and has continued to keep us updated. She clearly is so dedicated to not only the many cats in need but also the families she is involved with. Jenny and ARC are remarkable and we are forever grateful to them for helping us!! She was not only professional but also it was evident she does this out of love for cats and her desire to help as many as she can.

We are very thankful for the help Mrs.Jenny from ARC provided us with, we never knew this type of program existed, I’m so glad it does!! I wish more people knew about this. Feral cats are inevitable in our area. So my parents have always fed and gave them fresh water, unfortunately this caused us to have many cats on our property and sadly many baby kittens dying over the years, thanks to Mrs.Jenny & ARC mostly all the cats have been spayed and neutered! This will save many kittens from unfortunate deaths. This is an amazing organization!! Thank you!!

OMG, what a wonderful organization! We were in need of a barn cat to keep our rodent population to a minimum. Jenny brought us two cute cats that we've named Barney and Betty. They are just an absolute joy to have around the barn.

Jenny brough them to us complete with everything they needed for their three week crate training. She gave us all the instructions for setting them free and maintaining their livelihood. When we even had a medical issue with Barney, she was there straight away to help assess and fix the problem.

This is a fabulous organization doing great things and should be commended for their tireless efforts in helping they stray cat population. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

I’m not very good at writing things but I think it’s important in this case to let everyone know that Barn Cats by far is the very best rescue agency I’ve ever run across in my life! I’ve been involved with all sorts of “ rescues “ since the early 80’s and for the most part everyone did what they were supposed to and everything was OK but Barn Cats placement people are really dedicated to getting the job done but more than that their follow up is extraordinary!
The staff especially Jenny, have a plethora of information that they gladly share. Jenny has gone out of her way to see to it that our placement actually was bonding ( which is very important

An awesome group of caring people that come together to help animals! I have contacted them on more then one occasion and they are always quick to reply. They are very caring and try to help come up with the best solution for the animals and people alike. Thank God there are wonderful people who are willing to give of their time. Wonderful organization. Give what you can! Every bit helps!

I'm sorry to hear from "a general member of the public", that they are unhappy with the cat situation. It doesn't sound like this person is talking about the Animal Rescue Connections. They take great care in their work. They helped me catch, spay, and nutear a male and female feral pair at my house. And the kittens, too. They returned the male and female back, and adopted the kittens out, after working with them to tame them for adoption. That is what this coalition does by feeding strays in neighborhoods. You will find that the strays have a clipped right ear. That means that they have been fixed and cannot repopulate. They dwindle down in time. I am so thankful.

I found Animal Rescue Connections when I was looking for help adopting out a kitten I had found while on patrol in San Antonio's shallow west side. At the time (5 years ago), I was unfamiliar with any rescues but knew that ACS would likely destroy the kitten. Long story short, I ended up keeping the kitten after he adopted me, but I was so impressed with the organization I became a regular volunteer and foster.

The quality of care I've seen and the support these people offer is second to none. Though small, this organization does great work helping to maintain feral/community cat numbers in areas where city services are not available, advocating for the welfare of animals, educating the public at large of TNR procedures and benefits, and adopting into good homes those animals (mostly cats) that are house-friendly.

I must take exception to the previous review. The reviewer must be mistaken about this organization. I don't think I have ever seen a more dedicated group of people. I am familiar with the area and have witnessed the love and dedication these volunteers have for these animals. Their TNR program has no doubt saved countless numbers of unwanted kittens from being born and ultimately destroyed by predators or run over by automobiles. These are people who take time out from their lives to feed and care for these animals on a daily basis. If they become injured or ill they are taken to a clinic for treatment. If the writer of the previous review would contact ANIMAL RESCUE CONNECTIONS I feel certain they would realize they have targeted the wrong organization.

My husband and I are appalled to see so many cats being killed in the business section of Bulverde. One day, I was approached by a woman from this group who says that she drives by and feeds them, but the cats are always starving, dragging broken legs, missing eyes, are sick, never seem to have clean drinking water, and even found up in trees when it's raining to save themselves from drowning because they have no shelter. We did find one tupperware tub that was full of old rotting straw that never looked like it has ever been cleaned, but how do they expect 20 cats or more to fit in one container which was a very pathetic excuse for shelter and why are they being put in the middle of busy parking lots to begin with??? She says that it's all they do for feral cats and that if I wanted to take over and feed them, I was more then welcome to. Most of these cats are very tame and come right up to us. They also claim that ALL the cats have been spayed and neutered but even that is not true. They DO NOT provide any medical care to any of these cats and feed the cheapest dry food which attract deer because it's made from corn. Corn makes cats very sick. Why are they dumping tame cats, pretending that they are feral in this area to be killed by cars instead of trying to find indoor homes for them? Aren't rescues supposed to "rescue" cats from being killed instead of putting them in these areas so that it will happen? The public needs to know what these people are doing. Shame on them.