In 1995, Katrin Hecker began work that would soon become AnimalKind, but she will tell you our real founder was a three-legged black rescue cat named Lucky. Traveling through the streets and alleyways of Hudson in the mid-1990’s, Katrin estimated 30 to 60 cats were living on every block. The dilemma of unwanted cats in Hudson was obvious, and Katrin responded. Outside, the feral cat populations were subject to the elements, with no food or medical care, and only having each other for companionship. Katrin first started feeding them, and then she started trapping them, neutering or spaying them, and returning them to their colonies. Five years later, AnimalKind was officially born.
AnimalKind is a nonprofit organization committed to ending feline overpopulation through rescue, care, and prevention. We believe every cat deserves safety, compassion, and a second chance. We are a vital and necessary organization that fills the service gap that traditional humane societies and shelters are unable to address. Over the last 25 years, we have:
- saved the lives of over 1,000 abandoned, stray, injured, or neglected cats and kittens annually,
- worked directly with law enforcement to save abused and hoarded animals,
- spayed or neutered an average of 2,000 animals annually,
- placed tens of thousands of cats in loving homes,
- provided food, shelter, and basic medical care to hundreds of community cats, and
- provided low-cost veterinary and food pantry services to our community to keep companion animals with their human caregivers.
We rescue strays and provide needed medical intervention to abandoned animals, rehabilitating and socializing them with the goal of finding a forever home for every cat we care for. Our mission is community based; reducing populations of stray cats either directly or proactively, along with providing vaccine and spay/neuter programs for community cats. Ultimately this decreases the proliferation of unwanted kittens and lowers the risk of disease for both animals and humans. AnimalKind believes pet ownership improves the mental health of their owners and works to make pet ownership attainable for all members of our community. We also provide educational services to assist in the success of new pet ownership.
AnimalKind’s mission is to strengthen the natural bond between humans and animals with programs and services to enhance the well-being of all.
We always have choices about what to do with our lives. Three decades ago, Katrin decided to act – every day, which became months, which became years. AnimalKind became its own dynamic, and with it, our volunteers, staff, fosters, and our whole community pitched in and supported our mission.
Lucky not only became AnimalKind, but each and every one of the 50,000 kittens and cats we have saved, cared for, and transformed has become Lucky.
Capital Campaign - AnimalKind 