Nancy Zuffrea | Kitty Cat Paradise

by Nancy Zuffrea
(Portland, OR)

Kitty Cat Paradise, a new cat shelter, is opening this month in the Gateway area of Portland. When it comes to the welfare of our furry citizens, the more pet rescues, shelters sanctuaries in our community the better, even in communities as pet-friendly as ours. And, like many of the now-established gems in the pet community, this start-up shelter has the beginnings of a great story.

Nancy Zuffrea, the Executive Director of the new shelter, says that the need for additional shelter resources has always been in the back of her and her families mind. It wasn’t until her 17-year-old daughter, Taylor Duncan, lost her cat Mini Kittie (who looked exactly like another household cat—just smaller). The family performed a thorough yet fruitless search of local shelters. “We decided that there had to be a better way to help abandoned and unwanted cats and kittens” says Zuffrea.

It was almost a natural decision for both Duncan and Zuffrea to make. Duncan, a junior at New Urban High School in Milwaukee, has major credentials when it comes to volunteering, non-profits, and animals. She was a runner-up for an animal hero award from PAWS (The Progressive Animal Welfare Society) for her work collecting animal supply donations for county shelters and raising animal testing awareness at her school.

While Duncan is a natural—feet on the street—grass roots activist, over the years Nancy Zuffrea has collected more behind-the-scenes experience as a board member of both the East Portland Chamber of Commerce and the Gateway Area Business Association. Since Mini Kittie disappeared in December, Zuffrea and Duncan have been working together to build up a 60-member strong cadre of volunteers to help with everything from “artist ability, special events, signage, logos, donation drives, phone calls, and general research for the facility,” says Zuffrea.

The Kitty Cat Paradise gang has been busy while waiting for the physical doors to open on their Gateway shelter. Zuffrea calls it running a “virtual shelter;” with the help from foster homes and friends, she reports that about 25-30 cats have found homes through Kitty Cat Paradise (check the shelter’s site at www.kittycatparadise.com for current adoptables). The shelter also held its first fundraiser at 20th Century Bowler Lanes where they collected over $350 in donations and, according to Zuffrea “We had great attendance and everyone had a blast.”

In the works are a Live Benefit Concert and car wash, which will help fund the shelter’s projected 50-85 feline population. The shelter is also looking for motivated volunteers and folks interested in sitting on their board of directors.

Though there are some details that still need working out (like a partnership with a vet clinic that is willing to provide low-coast spay & neuter surgery and examinations) the Zuffrea is excited to finally put her organizational skills to work for a cause she believes in.
I have seen over the years, homeless cats spending their final days peering out from inside their cages at community animal shelters. Many become victims of the long-accepted practice of euthanasia” she says. But thanks to the no-kill movement…millions of cats' lives are spared because of the efforts of shelter staff who operate under the belief that every homeless cat deserves a loving home.