My Nonprofit Reviews

I learned Trap-Neuter-Release back in the early 1980s, in New York. I currently apply what I learned in building a program overseas, in a country where spay-neuter was barely known and seldom used. When my sister started finding unsocialized cats in her barn, and then realizing they were delivering kittens in the hay, she naturally turned to me for help. I did what I could to coach her through the process for TNR of a quickly growing population, but she clearly needed more support than I could give. So I put her in touch with the Community Cat Coalition. Boy did their coaching and support change the picture for her!

Where as last year she managed to trap and spay the mama cat with my advice, this year there were more kittens, and we couldn't connect with appointments. Thanks to the CCC, she trapped 8 (EIGHT) cats while I was out of the country, and has a plan for doing 3 more adults and 4 kittens that will soon be old enough to spay. Wow! I'm so impressed! She hadn't realized how many cats were visiting her barn! Although she hasn't broken out a trail camera yet, when she does, I'm sure she'll find a few more she had no idea were stopping by for snacks!

Thank you, CCC, for helping people understand their role in solving the overpopulation of community cats, and for supporting them in getting the cats in for their snip and tip! Keep up the great work on behalf of cats and their caretakers!

It's sad to see that so many of the reviewers on Great Nonprofits don't understand what the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is and does! The local humane society in your community is a separate organization. Humane Society International (HSI)is a separate organization.

HSUS deals with "big picture" issues of animal abuse, neglect, dog fighting, hunting, and other policies within the US. They share "best practices" and support of all sorts with small welfare and advocacy groups across the US. They help local agencies investigage large cases; they help local agencies rescue massive cases of hoarding, abuse, neglect... One relatively new area of focus that makes me hopeful for companion animals is on how to create equity in accessing pet care, as vet costs skyrocket.

I have worked with and learned from their programs, and have great respect for HSUS. They work to maximize the impact of the funds donors give them in addressing the issues affecting animals across the US.

No nonprofit is perfect, but please learn more about the work a group does before you write a review of them.

Montenegro has lots and lots of community cats! More cats per square meter than any country could manage and care for humanely (think Cypress, Greece, Turkey). When I visited in 2018 I discovered that there was no spay-neuter program in the country, despite all the "street cats".

My Airbnb hosts and friends set out to help me change that by building a High Quality, High Volume Spay-Neuter program in Montenegro. We started with a modest goal: to raise funds and sterilize 10 cats. Taking a lesson from my home town, Seattle, where high-volume spay-neuter ended the need to euthanize 35,000 animals a year in local shelters, our program involves local Montenegrin vets who want to make a difference in the overpopulation of cats in Montenegro. They learn new techniques that allow cats to be quickly returned to their homes in the community, and work at highly discounted prices in exchange for the high volume of cats they sterilize for us. We've expanded from one partner clinic in 2019 to 5 in 2024, and together they've sterilized 13,000 cats for the Kotor Kitties program.

When we founded Kotor Kitties, I didn't anticipate devoting my retired life to developing the organization, but I found myself drawn in by the extraordinary people caring for animals, the wonderful veterinarians, the tremendous unmet needs of animal welfare in Montenegro, and of course the cats themselves.

I try to visit 1-2 times each year, and allow myself the happiness and luxury of trapping, transporting, recovering, fostering, and caring for as many cats as possible during each visit. When home in Seattle I share administrative responsibilities with a widening group of like-minded volunteers who enrich my life and knowlege.

With a big Thank You to all of my fellow volunteers who are helping to improve the quality of life for everyone in Montenegro--humans and nonhumans!

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