About CARE

C.A.R.E.

Mission Statement

Cat Adoption and Rescue Efforts, Inc. (C.A.R.E.) is an all volunteer, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to the rehabilitation, care, and adoption of cats and kittens rescued from euthanizing animal shelters in the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. In addition, C.A.R.E. will expand its mission to accept, on a limited basis, cats and kittens from alternate sources, that is before they reach the pound/shelter. We are committed to the highest principles of humane care and obtain professional medical treatment for all of the felines in our system (whether injured, sick or well). We sterilize eligible cats and kittens before adoption. We provide for their safety and comfort; alleviate their suffering; strive to place them into a home in which they will receive a quality lifetime commitment; discourage all forms of animal cruelty; educate the public in responsible pet care; practice and promote humane behavior toward all animals; and strive to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with the community and other rescue groups. We do not discriminate in selecting the cats or kittens from the shelters. No cat or kitten in the C.A.R.E. system is euthanized unless medical advice from a licensed veterinarian recommends it as the only humane alternative. We abide by Virginia law. Our guiding principle is to end unnecessary euthanasia in our locality. We practice and promote humane behavior toward all animals.

Please Meet Our C.A.R.E. Officers

Carolyn Kelly (President)
Carolyn has rescued animals since 1998. She fosters, works our PetSmart adoption center, manages our adoption files, tax accounting, and non-profit registration with governmental entities, and assists with fundraising.

Helen McIver (Vice-President)
Helen started doing cat rescue when her children were all grown and gone. She says that the house was lonesome and needed LIFE! Her first rescues were from the RSPCA which was going to euthanize them because they had ringworm. After that, she worked with AARF until the cat segment of that organization became CARE. Rescue has been her life for the last l5 years. She fosters, does advertising and TV spots, makes pound “runs”, works bingo, collects pet foods for the food bank, and works the adoption stand at Petsmart. She says that there is nothing more rewarding to her than to save an animal’s dismal life, turn it around, and find it a permanent loving home!

Andrea Roussell (Treasurer)
Andrea is a retired school teacher who presently teaches part-time in Henrico's Adult Education GED Program. She has been in cat rescue since 1999. In addition to her treasurer's duties, she fosters kittens, cleans cages at the adoption centers, and feeds several colonies of feral cats.

Kathryn O'Meara (Secretary)
Kathryn was a family nurse practitioner for 29 years, serving in such places as the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona and with Project Hope land based teams in Tunis, Tunisia and Ganada, AZ. She has been involved in stray animal rescue and adoption work since the mid 1970's, which began while working on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Kathryn fosters, assists with fundraising, cleans cages at the adoption centers, and works the weekend adoption stands.