TNR... Can we skip to the Good Part?

When I bought my house in 2021, I had big dreams of converting parts of the property into spaces where I could rescue Cats and Dogs. I have worked hard and am doing better every day, but I have only limited income to do such upgrades, and I kept telling myself that I would get there soon. It has been a few years, and as much as I would prefer to stay off of crowd-funding... The quickest way to meet the goals and get to where it is easier to rescue more is to talk to my friends and see what we can pull together. I have such a fantastic group of friends, and I trust that you'll understand that I just intend to make a more significant impact sooner.

GOAL 1—Finished Fence. I have been able to afford half of the fence I need to fence my entire yard, which is about 2/3.

Goal 1 Will allow me to open my home to a puppy or dog foster immediately. It will also let my dogs run freely; I want that for Zoe as she ages. With a fenced yard, I can also hold free introductory dog training courses without the stress of losing a leashed dog. I can also use the space to hold events more privately.

Here are some pictures of the progress and where the fencing would be needed :

GOAL 2- Finishing the Garage into a temporary Shelter for TNR.

GOAL 2A: Appling for Permits. (I'm pretty sure this requires some capital)

Goal 2B: Install flooring with a functioning drain. This would make it easy to clean and drain.

Pictured is the current Flooring:

Goal 2C: Remove the Sliding barn doors and frame existing doorways. Adding two standard storm doors.

Broken barn doors pictured:

GOAL 2D: Adding Electricity and Plumbing (sink and drain)

We have some donated wiring on hand to run a line from the house to the Garage, but we would need to hire a professional.

GOAL 2E - Adding Walls and Insulation. Ideally, we would like to split the space into two.

GOAL 2F- Design the garage into a temporary shelter, office, and potentially a moderate boarding area*

GOAL 2G- Add 1-2 temporary runs for Dogs that can also be converted into small rooms for cats. These boarding spaces will temporarily place strays that need more time to find a long-term foster, rescue, or forever home. I see dogs simply by existing as a compassionate person. It would be nice to have somewhere for them to go that does not disrupt my personal animals and keeps my pet family safe. I also would like these runs to be easily transformed into an extended stay for a cat or cats. These Runs can also be rented for boarding, which could go directly back to the care of unhouse strays.

This goal requires us to meet specific standards from the state, which will be looked into further once we get to goal F.

GOAL 2 Will allow for housing cats from the TNR program. I need an area with some way to heat and cool it and some way to see what I am doing. I use 42-inch Dog kennels to house cats, and I have six kennels that I currently use in my basement. Updating this space would create a separation of home and work and be easier for me to access. Right now, I have to carry equipment and cats in traps down a flight of stairs, and it is less than an ideal space, but it has been working. It would also give me significantly more space. We will be a giant recovery center for all of the TNR in our area. One of the biggest challenges with TNR is recovery. Cats typically recover in their traps for multiple days. The kenneling method was taught to me by an amazing fellow rescuer, and once mastered, it is safe and easy to do. Kennel allows the feral cat access to a litter pan and multiple food choices that are not covered in bathroom waste.

There is currently no state regulation of housing cats for TNR as long as they return to their original location. (but we follow standard TNR protocol)

However, there are more regulations on sheltering animals that will be adopted and/or boarded for profit.

*At the time of this fundraiser, we will not be focusing on adoption or boarding. We will focus on making headway on this project and creating a space immediately available for TNR use only!

But would like to keep in mind expansion for the future.

GOAL 3-

Expand the Cat Room to a Cat Room with a Catio.

Goal 3A: Finish the Catwalks that go around the room. This does not require any money; I need someone who is strong and has some time to finish putting them up.

Goal 3B: Adding a cat door to the Cat room door.

Goal 3C: Adding a catio to the Widow that faces the front porch OR Screening in the entire front porch.

Current Residents of the Cat Room!

This will not allow more cats to live in my house as fosters; I have no idea what you're talking about. (;

ANYHOWS:

Friends, Family, and Friends who are Family. Thank you for considering chipping into this expense. Expanding my reach with this will make it a more enjoyable experience. I work hard to make a difference in our community and want to continue doing so but with better and more substantial equipment. I know that I will utilize this project to help as many animals in need as I feel works best for me and my family.

As this is an improvement to my personal property, I feel it best to use this GoFundMe tool. But if you are new and you have no idea who I am:

Hi! My name is Ber, and I have been properly rescuing cats for almost Seven years. This means it's been nearly Six and a half years since I have been actively doing TNR! I have been a big cat lover and mom my entire life! I helped start a TNR-minded nonprofit called Tim Traps Cats and/or Ozarks TNR. I am known around the Rescue community as someone who is pretty decent at trapping cats. My main focus is neutering cats and education. I am disabled and have been in the eyes of the government for 4 years, which makes making surplus income challenging. I am beyond blessed and couldn't be more grateful for my life.

I love educating the public and creating tools for others to learn and be dynamic.

I have recently returned to school and am working on completing my Bachelor of Science in Biology. I will graduate in December 2025 and continue my education in hopes of being competitive enough to try to attend vet school one day. Being a Vet is more of a Dream and less of a Goal, but I refuse not to move in that direction.

I hope to continue making a splash in our community, and I am only asking you to help me skip to the good part!

Can we skip to the good part?

SO SO SO much Love and Purrs! -Ber