OUR STORY & MISSION

The People for Pets Foundation is a small, grassroots “cat only” rescue. It was founded by Liz Dubenitz over 15 years ago.

After volunteering with numerous local rescues and county shelters in the area Liz realized that there was a real problem with the high rate of cat euthanasia. This was long before “cat only” rescue groups started to show up in the area. She decided to start her own “no kill” rescue for cats on the premise that she’d find homes for ALL the cats she rescued regardless of their physical, medical or psychological disabilities. If adoptive homes couldn’t be found then Liz pledged to care for these cats for their lifetime.

In the beginning Liz worked out of her horse barn and studio but eventually, with two large donations from then Board members, was able to turn half of the horse barn into a cat shelter with a small kitchen, heat and air conditioning and lots of windows for natural light. This shelter can comfortably house up to 15 cats but depending on the circumstances can accommodate up to 20 cats. Some rescues reside in special foster homes.

At first Liz followed the age old plan of rescuing cats, getting them spayed or neutered, bringing them back to good health and then adopting them out at the local Petco store. However, it didn’t take long to realize that for every three or four cats rescued there was one that had an ongoing health issue or was older and no one seemed interested in adopting. Some had a behavioral problem of some kind while some simply were overlooked because they weren’t kittens anymore. So, Liz began to focus on helping these cats in particular - the older cats, the very shy and timid cats, the cats with behavioral problems and, of course the ones with more serious health concerns like heart disease. She also decided to help cats with FIV, a very misunderstood disease. In 2022 she took on the awful disease, FIP, and saved a life.

Over time Liz and her small band of volunteers have found homes for hundreds of cats and kittens and as each year passes they continue to focus on saving cats and finding them the best forever homes possible. The only thing that has changed over the years is the types of cats they focus on helping and saving. Eventually most of these cats find a forever home but it does take longer…

Some of the PFPF cats who need extra special care and are unlikely to ever be adopted, live out their lives in the PFPF Sanctuary, affectionately called the “Kitty Kottage”.

More About the PFPF

Liz and PFPF volunteers go above and beyond when it comes to the medical and emotional care of all feline shelter and sanctuary residents. All cats are provided with good quality wet food and special treats , two times a day, and they receive affection and love from volunteers. Their health is a priority so all are provided with any veterinary care needed including specialist care and emergency room visits!

Of course, prior to adoption, every cat is vaccinated (rabies), spayed or neutered, tested for feline leukemia (FeLV) and FIV, de-wormed and treated for fleas and ear mites, if necessary, and microchipped.