Hi everyone! I'm currently a senior at Hofstra University and am reaching out for help on raising money to take care of Hofstra's campus cats. Mrs. Hofstra, one of the school's founders, was an animal rights activist, along with being an avid cat lover, hence why the school's mascots are lions. Due to her love for cats and recognizing that they deserve rights too, Mrs. Hofstra essentially made Hofstra into a cat sanctuary, in which she left money for the continuation of their care long after she was gone, along with taking in new cats that find their way here. According to the last head count, there are about 80 cats living on Hofstra's campus, who all receive care from a dedicated group of current and former Hofstra staff. This care includes daily food and water in weather-safe shelters, along with weather-safe shelters for the cats themselves. No matter the weather condition, this group always makes sure to feed the cats, so that they too can stay safe. Even during holidays or breaks when school isn't in session, this team still makes their daily rounds to the cats. If someone is sick, another member fills their spot. The Hofstra cats are always cared for.

For quite some time now, Hofstra has worked in collaboration with a non-profit cat rescue organization on Long Island. This partnership consists of trapping any pregnant/injured cats to receive proper medical care, along with trapping, neutering/spaying, and releasing the cats back to Hofstra. The organization also has an Amazon wishlist set up for people to purchase cat food on, which is then directly distributed to Hofstra's care team. Unfortunately, food donations have been low for the past six months, resulting in each member from Hofstra's team spending $300 to $400 per month on food to keep the care going.

Additionally, the cat food and housing shelters are in need of being upgraded, which can become quite pricey given the amount of cats there are on campus. With winter coming soon, it’s crucial to fix the current shelters to be able to withstand the cold.

As previously said, I'm a current senior at Hofstra, which means that I will be departing from the cats in May to go back to my home state to pursue Nursing school. I've been feeding the cats since my freshman year, and they have truly become a huge part of my life. While I don't feed all of the cats, as they are spread out in various locations, I have 18 cats that I feed on a daily basis. As of last Spring, I had the pleasure of officially joining Hofstra's cat-care team, where I work with the members to ensure food bowls don't go empty and water bowls don't run dry. Additionally, I worked closely with the cat organization back in the Spring to help catch pregnant and injured cats so that they could receive the proper medical attention.

The goal of this Go Fund Me is to raise enough money to cover the costs of cat food until May, rebuild food shelters that are falling apart/missing, and upgrade the cat shelters for the upcoming winter. All money will be going to the head of Hofstra's cat-care team. Any donations are greatly appreciated.