Miss Pat’s Cats
Written and Photographed by Veronica Yankowski
At just 17 years old, Patricia Andrews-Webb rescued her first cat in her home town of East Orange, NJ. She was bringing home about 8 cats at a time and keeping them safe off of the streets. She couldn’t turn away a cat in need.
She credits her love of animals to her mother, who loved all animals. She recalls seeing her mother care for sick or dying dogs and going out of her way to give them a better life. It was only fitting Patricia would do the same. She began with TNVMR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, manage and release). When she was a teenager a friend taught her how to trap cats and kittens and she made sure they were cared for and spayed or neutered to help control the population. After they were vaccinated and taken care of, she would release them.
It wasn’t until she was in her 40‘s that she came in contact with FOWA (Friends of Wayne Animals). They helped her make sure she had food for her cats and helped to get them adopted instead of released back on the street.
Pat was having a difficult time taking in and caring for so many cats on her own, so in 2014 she became a non-profit, Miss Pat’s Cats. Her mission is to help neglected cats, both feral and domestic, with proven TNVMR methods and pet owner hardship relief. She holds adoptions at Petco in West Orange, NJ, on Saturday’s from 11 AM to 2PM and Sunday’s from 4PM to 7PM. Her cats are also available for adoption in 4 New Jersey Petcos; East Hanover, Newark, West Orange and Verona.
Currently Miss Pat is working on securing a building where she can house her rescues and be sure they are cared for with ample space. She also wants to help others that can’t afford food and litter for their pets or their medical bills. So far in 2019 Miss Pat has helped over 70 cats find their “furever” homes.
To find out more or to donate, please visit http://www.misspatscats.org and be sure to “like” Miss Pat’s Cats on facebook.