TC Paw is looking for fosters and financial help. Here’s how you can support this Northern Michigan nonprofit. Want to adopt? Meet some of the cats at the Traverse City PetSmart (2544 Crossing Cir.).
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
Lisa Chimner works two full-time jobs. During the weekdays, she’s a pediatrician at Grand Traverse Children’s Clinic. Evenings and weekends are spent volunteering as the president of TC Paw Cat Rescue. The nonprofit was formed in April 2023 by a dedicated group that wanted to continue the longtime rescue and foster work of AC Paw, which is now focusing its efforts on spaying and neutering. At the time of our interview in November, TC Paw had already taken in 180 cats and helped about 100 of those cuddle bugs find their forever homes. Chimner tells us more:
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Recent success: “The biggest one was the Kalkaska rescue. It was a situation where a woman was hoarding 40 cats. She was evicted from her home and was moving into a new rental. I believe she was trying to hide them from the landlord. She had the cats outdoors in 90-degree weather—jammed in carriers with no food, no water, no litter, and covered with tarps. We didn’t have enough foster homes, but we were able to get all of those cats into a pole barn where they were safe and fed, and then we worked on getting them vet care and into foster homes. Some of them were quite sick, some were really emaciated and a couple of them had serious infections. Now, most of them are ready for adoption and some have already gone to wonderful families.”
Read Next: Video | 9&10 News | TC Paw Cat Rescue Fosters Felines and Helps Get Them Adopted.
Current challenge: “Our two biggest needs are financial support and fosters. I think a lot of people think fostering is a huge commitment, but it really isn’t. We provide all of the supplies—food, litter, equipment, all of the vet care. A foster’s role is to give a cat a safe place and care.”
The foster experience: “Sometimes you get a friendly little kitten who just needs a warm space and somebody to feed it, and sometimes you get a cat that’s timid and needs to be socialized. The reward is taking in an animal that didn’t have much chance for a future, that nobody else is looking out for, and then seeing them become somebody’s beloved pet.”
Photo by Dave Weidner