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PLEASE DONATE TO OUR MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN!
Thanks to our generous donors, Safe Haven is launching a $50,000 Matching Gift Campaign. Each dollar donated is matched up to $50,000.
We have only until December 31 to raise the funds, to boost the total which will become $100,000 to help pay our vet bills.
Safe Haven is well-known for our deep dedication to every feline that enters our program. Safe Haven is the one that actually goes out and traps cats that no one wants that are in harm’s way, so we can save their lives.
Feral cats, old cats, sick cats, cats that no one wants, they all come to Safe Haven and are immediately LOVED and given everything they need for a happy and healthy life… until we find the most responsible and loving home for them.
We always go the extra mile to give every kitty one more chance to get whatever they need — diagnostics or surgery or flea treatment or whatever — to spare them an untimely death.
You can ask any area vet or emergency hospital about Safe Haven. They’ll tell you that Safe Haven has the biggest heart and goes above and beyond. At Safe Haven the cats are #1.
To do this work takes money. So much money. Last year, our vet bills alone cost $308,000. That is just our vet bills!
Your matching gift will help us prepare for next year’s bills, which will be very challenging. There’s been a dramatic upswing in abandoned and ABUSED cats. We are getting reports of cats being deliberately harmed, abused or abandoned. Too many people think animals don’t feel pain, or that they’re not worthy of compassion.
More and more cats are being tossed. Far too few are being spayed/neutered. That means an overabundance of kittens. The numbers are staggering.
Tragically, few kittens survive being born outside. Predators are hungry; cars are fast.
This Matching Gift campaign is to urge you to donate now. It’s tax-deductible and life-affirming. Saving an animal’s life can help offset the abundance of cruelty and hate in the world.
Please help us raise this urgently needed money. You can donate online right here. Or mail your tax-deductible donation to Safe Haven, PO Box 91, Wells, Maine 04090.
Please donate only if you are able to. We love you and don’t want you to go without food or heat or other necessities.
Thank you for your compassion, your concerns and your prayers. Together is the only way we can save so many in need.
Norma Awaits
Come visit our shelter at 1420 Post Road in Wells. Our featured cat of the week, Norma, will personally greet you at the door.
Cute cat? Or the cutest cat?
Norma, with her adorable face, will happily show you the way to the receptionist desk. That’s “her” place, btw. The place she’s accustomed to. It’s her rightful place as Official Shelter Greeter.
Norma generously shares her desk with the staff as long as they make sure there’s room for her to take a comfortable cat nap.
When she’s not greeting or napping, Norma leisurely strolls the halls and kitchen of the shelter, making sure that everything is running smoothly.
Our shelter volunteers love to see her adorable black and white face peeking around corners or passing them in the hall as she makes her rounds.
Norma is a gentle, kitten-like 6-year young tuxedo with the cutest markings. She’s very curious, friendly and affectionate, while still keeping her independent side. She’s confident and welcomes new things. She’s very grounded, with a great personality.
Norma wants to go home for the holidays, and the holidays are coming up fast. On her wish list she writes that she would prefer to be an only pet. She really likes to get all the attention.
She’d love a home of her very own where she could greet everyone and show them just how wonderful life is when you land in a loving home with good people.
Let’s help Norma get her wish. You can easily do this by calling our shelter at 1420 Post Road at 207-646-1611 and ask if Norma would be willing to greet you on your next visit.
Come and spend time with this darling tuxedo, and we guarantee you’ll fall in love. Get an adoption application here (no obligation, of course).
This week our shop is having a 50% off sale on all glassware, including everyday drinking glasses and wine (stemware) priced $10 and less. Come now to refresh your drinkware!
We’re open 7 days a week from 11-4 and accept donations every Saturday from 12-3. We currently are looking for small furnishings, (no chairs) such as tables, benches, shelves, small dressers, holiday décor, clothing, pottery, jewelry, antiques and anything vintage.
Please, for now, no large dish sets, books, glasses or stemware. Thank you!
Barney, oops, Barni
It took two years of watchful eyes and loving care provided by a kind and devoted neighbor, but Barni, the lone survivor of a feral colony, has finally made it to Safe Haven.
For two years, members of the colony were hit by cars, because the barn they were released in was very close to a busy road.
Shoveling pathways through the snow for Barni to get to food and providing fresh water despite freezing temperatures is what kept Barni alive.
Two years of devoted care and prayers that Barni would survive paid off, and now Barni is enjoying the good life at Safe Haven.
The kind neighbor is also a Safe Haven volunteer. Mike’s devotion to Barni continues as he helps with her transition to life indoors around humans.
The amazing thing is, Barni turned out to be a girl not a boy! She is amazingly friendly and trusting! Despite never having lived indoors, her soul is trusting and gentle and inclusive.
Mike describes her as “a beautiful soul who wants to share her love.” She wants a home with caring people to love her and she will love them back forever.
When Barni hears her name, she comes forward for affection. She makes biscuits on the floor in anticipation of receiving kindness.
She winds her body around visitors’ feet, begging them to please stay. She allows you to pick her up and will settle onto your lap.
This beautiful three-year-old girl is a gorgeous brown/grey tiger. She is very healthy and good-natured. She is still discovering the joys of being around people and is discovering that humans can be trusted.
She loves her cat tree, being up high and watchful, ready to join you once she’s sure she’s safe. Once she knows you, she gives you everything in her heart.
Whoever adopts Barni will be blessed with a kitty that survived against the odds and is ready to be a treasured family member. Please call 603-397-9135 for more info about Barni. Apply online here. (No obligation, of course.)
Our shop at 1784 Post Road is open 7 days a week from 11am-4pm and fully stocked for your treasure hunting. On Saturdays we receive donations from 12-3.
We are currently accepting winter clothing only, as storing off-season clothing is a problem. Please hold off on books temporarily.
We’d love your home décor, small furnishings, pottery, jewelry, kitchenware, housewares and anything vintage! FMI 207-229-8314.
Sara, Friendly and Quiet
If you’re looking for a fun and adventurous cat to keep you company, Sara is ready to move in and make your home her favorite playground!
Five-year-old Sara is a friendly, quiet kitty with an independent spirit and a love for adventure. This curious and cautious explorer is a bit shy and not overly social, but enjoys playtime and visits from the shelter’s volunteers.
Sara is especially happy when there is something to climb – high perches and lofty beams are favorite hangouts at our shelter. Up high, above everything, Sara likes to observe the world and feel safe taking everything in.
When it’s playtime, Sara has no problem sharing the play space with other shelter kitties. She waits patiently until the time is right, and then goes all-in on feather wands and other toys. When playtime is over Sara is very content finding a quiet spot to bask in the sun.
Sara gets along fine with the other kitties and has a calm, respectful presence in the adoption room. Like many rescued kitties, Sara can be a bit cautious with new people. She’s not the type of cat to demand attention right away. But once you’ve earned her trust, she will slowly warm up and show her softer side.
Petting comes with time and is on her own terms. But the bond that develops is truly special. Once she trusts you, she will gladly lick from a hand-held squeeze-up treat.
Sara will do best in a quiet home with cat-savvy adults and older kids who will provide daily interactive play and plenty of companionship. She requires someone willing to invest a little time in the socialization process. Like all cats coming from a shelter there can be an adjustment period.
Sara needs just a bit of patience and understanding. Then she will blossom and become comfortable in your place, her forever home.
To meet Sara and visit the shelter located at the Thrift Shop/Cattail Farm, 1784 Post Road, Wells, please fill out an adoption application. (There’s no obligation, of course. It just starts the process.) We will be in touch to schedule a convenient time for your visit.
Strong Help Needed Saturdays from 12-3pm
That’s when our shop receives donations. Half of them must be carried up to our 3rd floor to be prepped, sorted and priced. Now we are without our college student team that helped us every Saturday. Now they’ve graduated and gone back home.
We urgently need several strong people willing to help for 2-3 hours on Saturday afternoons to carry donations up to our 3rd floor. It’s a good workout and healthy, athletic people tell us it’s a great way to train.
If you or someone you know can help us, please call 207-229-8314. We also welcome community service and families with adult children who want to help us.
Volunteer applications are right here.
Our trapping and rescue program also needs more volunteers. Our biggest and most urgent need is helping poorly socialized and feral females who are pregnant or nursing kittens.
We need experienced cat lovers who understand the urgency of getting mama cats into a safe environment, with good nutrition and medical care so they can raise healthy babies.
Safe Haven is currently planning on trapping ferals at 2 rural locations. That will require more community support: volunteers, kitten food, gas cards and foster homes. To learn more about our trapping and rescue program, please call Kathy at 207-251-1789.
Thank you for your interest. We really look forward to working with you!
Love our shop? Would you like to get a 20% discount on purchases? Become a volunteer!
Right now, we need cashiers and volunteers to work in our clothing department with our department manager. You’ll tag, hang and display the wonderful donated clothing, then watch it fly off our racks and go home with the most wonderful people. Please give Joyce a call at 207-229-8314 or fill out a volunteer application here. Thanks!
We’d love your cans and bottles
Please remember that we collect your redeemable bottles and cans at both our locations. Our shelter at 1420 Post Road has a roomy bottle shed right in the parking lot.
At our shop at 1784 Post Road you can ask for a Clynk bag at checkout, take the bag home and fill it. Then bring it back to us or drop it off at your local Hannaford. Yes, the bag will already have our Clynk tag on it. Just scan it and drop it in the chute.
The funds from your bottles and cans really matter! Yes, it’s only a nickel, but each nickel helps us afford the routine consumable items we need regularly.
Like cat food and litter, paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, dish detergent, laundry detergent, trash bags and other essential items we often run out of.
Please check the wish list for more items we frequently need. You can drop off these items at either location, and we are very thankful when you do.
If you see a stray dog or cat, please call a No Kill shelter or your local police department. Thank you.
We have more than 100 kitties in our care now. Check them out on our Petfinder page.
Where to Find Us
Shop: Cattail Farm, 1784 Post Road, Wells, open 11am-4pm seven days a week
Shelter: 1420 Post Road, Wells 207-646-1611
Mail: PO Box 91, Wells, ME 04090
Visit Safe Haven on Facebook Like cat photos? You’ll love our Instagram
Our Thrift Shop has a Facebook, too. It’s right here
