What is the mission of Peninsula Friends of Animals?

To prevent the birth of unwanted cats and dogs through progressive spay/neuter and educational programs. And to place as many homeless, neglected, abused animals as possible in safe, loving, permanent homes.

What is your adoption program about?

PFOA has companion pets of all ages for adoption. All of our animals have been health checked by a veterinarian, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered prior to adoption. We screen applicants to ensure the right cat or kitten is a good match for the home it deserves.

Why do you charge a $75 adoption fee?

The $75 fee barely covers the costs incurred in caring for any animal when you add up the veterinarian care, vaccinations, spay/neutering, food, cat litter, and overhead to keep the lights and heat on at our shelter, Safe Haven. In addition, a reasonable investment in a pet is another indication of a pet owner's ability to support the needs of that pet into the future. At the same time, we strive to keep the fee as low as possible to make adoptions affordable for our community.

Are you really a "no-kill" shelter?

Yes, we are! We are limited by county regulations to a maximum of 65 cats and kittens at any one time at Safe Haven. However, we have about another 50 cats, kittens, and/or dogs in foster care with our hard-working volunteer foster "parents." It is painful for us to have to turn away animals in need, which is one reason we have an aggressive spay/neuter program in our county. We would never euthanize animals to make room for others, but it's possible--although it is rare--to have an animal euthanized if it is clearly suffering from a terminal illness or injury. Go here for more on our spay/neuter program.

How can you be a "cageless" shelter with all those animals?

Safe Haven is a renovated, 5,000-square-foot home on 34 acres of rural land between Sequim and Port Angeles. The rooms that house our cats and kittens are large, bright, and airy with windows and outdoor access to fully enclosed patios where they can romp or sleep in fresh air and sunshine. The cats lounge on furniture and sleep in cat beds scattered throughout the rooms. Kittens have their own rooms. They all climb on cat trees, play with toys, and have daily interaction with volunteers who groom and pet them.

There may be times when a large cage is needed temporarily to:

How do you pay for all this?

Peninsula Friends of Animals is a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization and takes NO tax dollars. It is funded through public donations, fundraising and occasional grants. Most of the work is performed by volunteers who love cats, kittens, and believe in the mission of caring for and helping the most helpless creatures in our communities. There are a couple of key part-time positions for which PFOA must pay--that of daytime shelter manager and a nighttime caretaker.

Do you need more volunteers?

PFOA welcomes volunteers to help with the animals and the mission. Cats need grooming and socializing, kittens need play time with humans, litter boxes need emptying, building maintenance sometimes needs attention, envelopes need stuffing...the list is lengthy. But there's a job for anyone! Call 360-452-0414 and leave a message to have someone call you back about being a PFOA volunteer. Go here to learn more.

I'd love to help, but I'm pretty busy and can't come to the shelter. What else can I do to help with the mission?

PFOA is always in need of good foster homes, if you can offer a cat, kitten, or dog a temporary home until it is adopted. If you can't do that, we have a sponsorship program--some of the animals in our foster care have "special needs." Some have been abused, some left behind when their caretakers died, some have physical limitations, and some just need a little extra care to overcome the trauma of a bad situation.

Or you can join our sponsorship program--for a few dollars a month, you can sponsor a cat or dog while they wait for their right person to come along. Call 360-452-0414 and leave a message to have someone call you back about being a PFOA sponsor or foster "parent."

You can also purchase one of our fundraisers at CharityCatCalendars.com. (New window will open). We offer our famous 2007 nude calendar, "Cats 'n' Dogs...and Artists, Too!" for $15, and "A Purr-fectly Wonderful Cookbook" for $12.

Why don't you have dogs at your shelter?

We have a small-dog foster/adoption program in place with one person coordinating it. We sometimes find a way to foster and adopt out larger dogs, but Safe Haven has limited room for the cats and kittens already in our care. On-site dogs require much more space and care than we can provide at this time. Plans are on the books to accommodate small dogs in future expansion projects, in addition to a lifetime care facility for "retired" cats--those whose owners have died and have left a bequest for their cats' care for the rest of their lives. Go here to read more information on the lifetime care plans.

What else does Peninsula Friends of Animals do?

In addition to adoptions and spay/neuter programs, Peninsula Friends of Animals offers emergency veterinary assistance to low-income individuals in need of emergency veterinary care for their pets; pet food for pets of low-income community members; trap/neuter/return program for feral cats in the community (feral cats are humanely trapped, treated for health problems, spayed or neutered, and returned back to willing guardians who feed and care for them). We also offer behavioral advice by telephone.

How can I learn more?

Call our shelter at Safe Haven at 360-452-0414 and leave a message. A volunteer will call you back as soon as possible.
Or write to us at:

Peninsula Friends of Animals
P.O. Box 404
Sequim, WA 98382