Welcome to our Shelter

"To So Very Many - THANKS"

Written By: Sue Bowman

Forgotten Felines & Fidos began in 1994.   It was shortly thereafter that I came up with a silly dream:

Some day these amazing creatures will have a place to live, where they will always be safe, not just from other animals but especially from humans. Humans who hunt, torture, harass and kill them just because they are cats.This place would be a large building with plenty of windows, fresh air, beautiful scenery, cushy beds, and plenty of food and water everyday.A regular kitty heaven right here on earth!

A woman named Eileen told me that I should focus on this dream and if I never lost focus this dream would come true.On January 31, 2000 FFF purchased 27 beautiful acres of property.Spring, Summer and Fall were spent turning the house into a workable shelter.Michele and I called contractors, learned all about building permits and little technicalities that we really didn’t want to know existed.

FFF volunteers are one big family so we ended up going with a family theme for our construction. Brothers Bob & Ray Seidel were chosen as our contractors and Glenn Guinther and his brother Dan became our excavators and plumbers.Bob told me that construction would begin on November 6^th. I let Bob in on my dream and my hope that all the cats would be home for good in Germansville for Christmas.I guess dreams can be contagious because Bob hired more men and the building took shape rapidly.   As Bob and Ray were nearing their completion, Paul Cope became almost a permanent fixture.Not only did Paul do all the electrical wiring, but he did vet runs, lined up inspectors, disinfected cages and even hauled trash.   I am sure his understanding wife Debbie thought we were trying to kill him.

December 15^th, our crew of painting volunteers were called to action.   Robin Bieber, Steph and Wanda Drey, Jill Clements with family and friends, Debbie Cope, Therese Podoyak, Nancy Schiesel, Linda Flemming, and of course Michele all grabbed paint brushes and rollers and made it happen.  

Mark, of “Floors by Mark” and his partner came one morning at 8 am and worked straight through until 2:30 am the next morning to put down tile squares.Keith “Critter Control” Galvin built the dividing walls and partitions and hung the enclosure doors and Dave Sheetz built the plenum for our heater. It was now December 22^nd, could this really happen?

Around 7 pm on the 22^nd the technician would not hook up the furnace because of a minor change that had to be made in the pipes.   Home for Christmas would never happen.   We stood there in shock and disbelief as the technician walked away.Could that be it? Had the dream we all began to believe in come to an end?Then it happened.The technician who just left called and stated if we could make the correction he would come back the next day and hook up the heater.Our friend Jim Trach left Pen Argyl 6:30 the next morning and had us in compliance by 8 am .

The morning of the 24^th the caravan of cars left Moorestown with carriers and cages to bring the cats home for Christmas.

At 2:46 pm on Christmas Eve the last cat entered their new home.  

I could not finish without giving special thanks to our President Dick Bowman who gives us direction and pulls us up when we falter.   Fifi Phillips who cleaned, fed and medicated in Moorestown so that we could stay focused down here.Pella Windows who so generously donated the windows for the barn.Nancy Motsko who donated all the interior doors.Michele, as I weakened from the sheer enormity of the project, she strengthened.She and friends Jack and Paul have finished the dividing walls for the next group of cats.Dave Sheetz and Greg Plastow studded out 2 more rooms.Tom Ostroski who spackles for a few hours every week and his wife Jane who helps socialize the cats.

Everyone has done so much for Forgotten Felines and yet I was given the title of shelter administrator.Maybe because once, a long time ago, I had a stupid, silly dream.

This is a photo of the shelter house, which contains a shelter area that homes cats and kittens awaiting adoption; foster cats awaiting adoption, and numerous areas for young kittens who are being socialized and often medically watched. All of these felines share their home with our tireless caretaker Sue Bowman, who feeds, socializes,medicates,bottlefeeds, loves and adores every resident, every day ofthe year.


The Barn (as it is referred to as) is located behind the house. It is divided into three large sections: one that contains feral cats in the process of socialization; one that contains formerly feral cats who are refining themselves (with the help of volunteers) to become adoption-ready; and one that is devoted to un-adoptable feral cats (the"real" forgotten felines) that have been rescued from the wild   and given a safe, happy, and healthy home to live out their life - complete with the benefits of Thanksgiving turkey dinners and catnip-decorated Christmas tree.

This is an inside view of the Barn. This room houses the permanent residents of FFF who have been lovingly cared for since the group's inception 7 years ago. It is a large, cheerfully bright room with numerous windows and several cat-friendly constructions where the cats can play, climb,and lounge in safety.

                                                                                                                                     
Each section in the Barn also has
a fenced in area for our felines to get
some fresh air.

Now I bet you are wondering where are the FIDOS?? Because of zoning when we do receive a Fido they go into foster care with one of our loving volunteers until they find a perminate home.

Some of the other shelter residents...

Rosie the goat came with the property when FF&F purchased the shelter
site.  

Ricky and Oreo, Rosies partners in crime.