“I see all the ones I’ve lost when I look at them. But I also see hope. They all deserve a chance. And I’ll be here for as long as they need me.”
Annie didn’t plan on becoming a rescuer; the role found her. It crept into her life quietly, carried on the cries of hungry stray cats in the shadows of her rural Richton neighborhood. She could have turned away, but instead, she chose to help.
“I started feeding them,” she recalls. “It didn’t feel like much at first—just making sure they weren’t starving.” But she soon learned that hunger wasn’t the only battle these cats faced.
Litters of kittens were born, and unneutered males fought constantly over territory. The colony grew. Annie watched, overwhelmed but determined to help. Her two pet cats, Ron Weasley and Cinna Pede, followed her with watchful eyes as she carried bags of cat food into the yard. Soon, she was spending $60 a month on cat food for the growing population.
It wasn’t sustainable. That’s when Annie turned to social media, hoping to find advice and resources. “Someone offered to cover the cost to spay a mother cat named Juno,” she explains. “It was a small miracle.” Inspired, she started a fundraiser to help cover the costs of traps, surgeries, and food. And that’s when things began to shift.
The power of community revealed itself—not through grand gestures, but through small, steady acts of kindness. People came forward, lending support in ways Annie hadn’t imagined.
Soon, the colony began to stabilize. Cats were trapped, spayed, and neutered. Fewer kittens appeared.
Today, twenty cats have been spayed or neutered. Annie credits much of her success to access to affordable spay and neuter services. “Southern Pines has always been there for me,” Annie says. “I adopted my first cat, Harvey, from the shelter when I was in high school. Their Healthy Pet Clinic’s services have been a lifeline, especially for people like me who are caring for large colonies.”
The discounted community cat surgeries made possible by the Dorothy Ricks Fund since its creation in 2022 have been particularly crucial. While our partnership with the Bissell Pet Foundation helps reduce surgery costs significantly, the Dorothy Ricks Fund helps bridge the gap even further by helping to subsidize the cost even more. “Without that fund, it would’ve taken so much longer to help these cats,” she says. “Because of the discounted rate, twenty cats from my community have been spayed or neutered faster than I could have managed otherwise. Dorothy Ricks’ legacy has made a difference in every one of their lives.”
Annie’s work is far from over. New faces continue to appear—sometimes timid, sometimes bold—but she meets each one with the same quiet resolve.
“I see all the ones I’ve lost when I look at them,” she says. “But I also see hope. They all deserve a chance. And I’ll be here for as long as they need me.”
The work isn’t glamorous. It’s slow, exhausting, and sometimes heartbreaking. But to Annie, it’s more than just a responsibility. It’s a promise.
One made in pawprints. And Annie always keeps her promises.
Together, we can carry on that promise. The Dorothy Ricks Fund, alongside our other grants and partnerships, honors Dorothy’s legacy by helping subsidize the cost of spay/neuter surgeries for outdoor cats—providing a crucial service to curb overpopulation and foster healthier feline communities.
Will you donate today?
Every gift ensures cats like the ones Annie cares for receive the support they deserve. Let’s change the world…one cat at a time.
Comentarios