07/21/2026
My husband asked me a question the other day that I couldn't stop thinking about.
*"Why are there so many small cat rescues in this area?"*
Did you know there are **around 100 small rescues across Central and Southern Pennsylvania?** Probably more.
Then he asked the question that really stuck with me:
**"Wouldn't it make more sense to pool your resources and work together toward one common goal instead of having dozens of organizations each struggling to solve the same enormous problem?"**
Honestly...I didn't have a good answer.
Before I started KitUmbra Rescue Cats, I applied to foster for about a dozen rescues. Most never responded. I eventually fostered for one larger organization, and while they do a tremendous amount of good, I realized their priorities didn't align with what I envisioned. I wanted fosters to receive more support. I wanted cats to have quicker access to medical care. I wanted to build something where I could make those decisions myself.
So I did.
And now, having built a rescue from the ground up, I understand just how incredibly difficult this work really is.
Every kitten season, nearly every small rescue reaches the same breaking point:
💔 Foster homes are full.
💔 Funds run low.
💔 Intake has to close.
💔 We all end up saying "no" to animals we desperately wish we could help.
Behind every rescue is an incredible amount of work—fundraising, foster coordination, TNR, medical care, adoptions, community education, supply management, volunteer recruitment, grant writing, event planning, social media...the list never ends.
And every rescue has something valuable to bring to the table.
👩❤️👨Different relationships.
🩺Different veterinary partnerships.
💵Different fundraising ideas.
🚛Different suppliers.
👨🏫Different expertise.
💁Different volunteers.
💪 Different strengths.
So why aren't we combining those strengths?
What if we weren't competing against the problem separately, but fighting it together?
Could sharing resources increase our capacity?
Could sharing knowledge improve outcomes?
Could sharing volunteers lighten the load for everyone?
Could we someday build something large enough to become the kind of open-intake organization Pennsylvania desperately needs for both cats and the people trying to help them?
I honestly don't know.
What I *do* know is that this isn't a one-rescue problem. It's bigger than any one organization, any one founder, or any one community.
If collaboration could save more lives than competition, then it seems like the obvious choice.
I'd love to hear from other rescuers, volunteers, fosters, adopters, veterinarians, and supporters.
**What's standing in the way of greater collaboration—and how do we change it?**
Because at the end of the day, the cats don't care whose logo is on the carrier.
They just need someone to work together long enough to save them.
