4 Paws Rescue Team, Inc.

Dynamic, community-based animal rescue organization taking in neglected, abandoned and unwanted cats, featuring an aggressive adoption program complemented by humane education to end pet overpopulation. 703-715-MEOW (6369)

How do you help people in my community?

We are a local animal rescue organization. Most of our cats are rescued from neighborhoods in the Metro DC area. Most of the people who adopt our cats live in Virginia, DC or Maryland. Our cats can be seen for adoption at six Petco stores in Northern Virgina: Alexandria, Arlington, Burke, Chantilly, Fairfax, and Tysons Corner. The majority of the shelters that we work with are local to the DC area. We do also rescue cats from more rural areas of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia where the overpopulation of domestic animals is epidemic and adoptions from shelters are very low. 4Paws volunteers also work hard to educate the public about the need to spay or neuter their pets. The only way to truly end the suffering and needless deaths of homeless cats and dogs is to stop the overpopulation problem through spaying and neutering. Many adopters are first time pet owners. Consequently, volunteers spend significant time explaining the care that their new pets will require. Volunteer groups also visit local elementary schools and talk to the students about general pet care.

Why do you need my support?

4Paws is run entirely by a volunteer workforce consisting of more than 100 volunteers.  Ninety-two cents (92 cents) of every dollar donated to 4Paws is used to directly benefit our cats through the purchase of medical supplies, cat food and litter and veterinary services. Rescued cats are all housed in foster homes and then shown for adoption in space donated by local Petco stores so none of your donation would be spent on rent for a facility either. No donation is too small. It is the aggregate of many small donations that has sustained the organization since inception in 1995. We are an organization run by many dedicated individuals. We know that we cannot save all of the homeless cats in the DC Metro area, but what keeps us going is the confirmation with each rescue that we do make a tremendous difference in the lives of those cats that we are able to touch… and the lives of the people who choose to share their homes with our cats. In addition to giving the cats that we have rescued an opportunity for a better life, we also work toward solving the bigger problem—pet overpopulation. Currently, the major effort toward this end is public education about the importance of spaying and neutering. The long term goal is to purchase a mobile spay/neuter van that can go out to more rural areas where pet overpopulation is rampant.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

4Paws is run entirely by a volunteer workforce consisting of more than 100 volunteers.  Ninety-two cents (92 cents) of every dollar donated to 4Paws is used to directly benefit our cats through the purchase of medical supplies, cat food and litter and veterinary services.. Six Board members make up the centralized management that runs the daily operations of the organization. The Board is made up of individuals with a wide range of skills and backgrounds, all of whom share a deep love for and commitment to homeless cats and kittens. The six volunteers who currently sit on the Board consist of two CPAs, one registered nurse, a contracts specialist, a PhD candidate in biology and a systems engineer. No one person has the responsibility or capability of directing the use of funds without a second Board member’s knowledge—that is, expenditures are authorized by a different person than the one who pays the bills. Cash flow is carefully monitored and any proposal of a significant deviation from the annual budget is reviewed by members of the board. A certified public accounting firm performs an audit on the organization’s financial statements each year.

Can I Volunteer? How?

4Paws always has a need for volunteers. Opportunities vary in amount of time commitment required. Foster homes are critical—we are limited in the number of cats that we are able to rescue by the availability of foster homes. Foster home volunteers temporarily house rescued cats in a separate room away from other pets. 4Paws pays for pre-authorized vet care, the foster volunteer provides food, shelter and love. The commitment could last anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending upon the availability of the volunteer and the type of fostering situation requested (i.e., young kittens/nursing mothers will need more time in foster care than adults). For those who cannot take a homeless cat into their house, we have opportunities for volunteers to care for the cats in the various Petco stores that are being shown for adoption. Each day in each store, a different volunteer is responsible for taking care of the two or three cats in the store—providing fresh food and water, scooping the litter, cleaning the cages and providing some TLC. Other volunteer opportunities include assisting at adoption fairs (held approximately every three weeks), transporting cats between Petco stores and/or animal hospitals, and helping with administrative functions such as phone calls, bookkeeping, and filing.