Thanks to a generous grant, June’s Senior Cat Rescue was able to purchase a dedicated vehicle to rescue cats and transport them to vet visits. We travel throughout New Mexico to help senior cats, often racing against time for those facing euthanasia. Relying on volunteers’ personal vehicles limits participation due to wear and tear, forcing us to post urgent calls for drivers—delaying rescues. Having our own vehicle allows us to quickly get on the road to save the life of a senior cat in need. In 2024, we saved cats from shelters in Torrance County, Edgewood, Valencia County, and Rio Rancho, and from Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter in Eddy County.
Running a senior cat sanctuary with 55+ cats also means frequent vet visits: just like elderly people regularly visit their doctors for age-related illnesses, aging cats need to visit the vet to address common age-related feline illnesses like kidney disease, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism. When it comes to vet visits, vehicle size can also be an issue for volunteers: not all volunteers have a car that can transport two cat carriers at the same time. A dedicated vehicle not only takes the wear and tear burden off of volunteers, it also allows for volunteers to transport multiple cats at the same time, and lets more than one volunteer accompany the cats, making for a potentially calmer trip to the vet.
Care for our cats costs more than $60K per year for exams, medications, dentals, surgeries, and other treatments. And just as with people, senior cats can experience sudden downturns, and our cats often need emergency vet care on weekends. In December 2024, we visited the emergency vet every weekend. Using personal vehicles for these trips has become impractical for volunteers, highlighting the need for a dedicated rescue vehicle.