Help us in our Time of Dire Need
Posted August 08, 2014
Dear Goathouse Refuge Supporters,
As many of you know, a shooting range opened last May directly adjacent to the refuge, with the outdoor shooting galleries only 80 feet from our property line. This situation has put us in even greater need of your support. Please help us by considering a donation at this link: www.goathouserefuge.org/donate/
With your support, we were able to save Ramadan who had been hit by a car.
Until three weeks ago, the noise from the range was frightening and constant all day long. The cats were upset by the noise, and many cats became ill, some biting their paws, drawing blood and causing them to have trouble walking. I became ill too, from the noise and nervous exhaustion of dealing with this situation.
Because of a petition we started against the shooting range, my calls to the sheriff’s office, and mine and my neighbors’ complaints, the shooting range people started blasting us on a very right-wing radio station, saying that we were against the second amendment, that we cared more about cats than our country. Some people started breaking in at night to the refuge to try to intimidate me. Then people started posting online that they were driving more than one hour to come here and use our cats for target practice.
We finally prevailed with the county commissioners. The sheriff’s office discovered that the noise from the range was significantly above what the county noise ordinance allows. The range has been silent since warnings from the sheriff’s office, but the owner is considering options to build earthen berms and to plant trees to reduce the decibel level. We may have to file a civil law suit if the range reopens, as even the legal limit for the decibel levels will be too great and it will disturb the cats, visitors, and my artwork.
Sweet Wendy has her fingers and legs crossed in the hope that she will find her forever home soon!
Because of the constant shooting, we were not able to hold our most important fundraiser this spring which brings in about $30,000 every year. In addition, we were not able to hold the other smaller spring fundraisers we normally have.
Even our adoption rate decreased dramatically because people became afraid to come here. We are now in a desperate situation and need financial support ASAP. The refuge needs $10,000 to pay off our Care Credit card, an account we were forced to open in order to pay for several medical emergencies. The interest rate is huge! We also have large bills that are due for veterinary services, food, and care for the cats. We need support immediately or we will be forced to close the refuge. I am already trying to transfer some cats to good organizations and to people we can trust, breaking my heart and the hearts of all the people who are working here and who put so much love and energy into caring for these creatures. We can supply bills to you if you would like to pay them directly.
I am terrified for the cats. We need to make sure all the cats are safe.
They are all beautiful, spayed/neutered, de-wormed, vaccinated, micro-chipped, and very well socialized, friendly, and adoptable. Please, adopt one or two!!!
And, please help us by considering a donation at this link: www.goathouserefuge.org/donate/ or call us to see how you can best assist us at (919) 542-6815.
Thank you so much for your past support, your love of cats, and I truly appreciate any contributions you can make to help us out now.
Siglinda Scarpa
