About Us

Our History

Cats Alive SLV was created in 2013 to address the unchecked populations of stray and feral cats in the San Luis Valley.

A vast and rural part of southern Colorado, the SLV contains some of the historically poorest counties in the state and there is a glaring lack of stable and affordable housing – especially for families with pets. The corresponding needs in the valley are immense. The cat rescue community here has been operating in triage mode for many years.

Right now the SLV is lucky to have several caring vet clinics, a centralized animal shelter, and an incredible mobile spay/neuter program. But the community cat problem that produces dozens of new feral kittens every season is still a frenzied uphill battle.

This challenge forms the core of the Cats Alive SLV mission – to trap, spay/neuter, and find loving homes for as many kittens and cats as possible, while acting as a TNR and welfare safety net for community cats.

Unfortunately, that battle that has recently gotten a lot more challenging with the increasing risk of exposure to panleukemia (feline distemper), FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), FeLV (feline leukemia), and FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) in valley cats.

Cats Alive SLV has always operated as a foster-based rescue due to the rural nature of the valley and the simple fact that well-socialized kittens who are medically cleared and spayed/neutered have the quickest and most successful placements. We have survived on the generous donations from our community and partners and helped as many animals as our standards and finances would allow.

But this urgent new need to step-up biosecurity procedures has forced us to completely reevaluate our need for a permanent building. Ethically, we need to have a way to temporarily quarantine and medically assess the kittens and cats that the public calls for us to respond to before placing them in our volunteers’ homes or with another rescue organization. We also need a dedicated space to sanitize and store our rescue equipment and foster supplies.

As Cats Alive SLV decided to search for a building, a long-time supporter decided to put her unique property up for sale. This large ranch sits just south of the city line of Monte Vista and comes with established water rights and horse pasture. It already sits in a district zoned for animal rescue applicants and the property layout helps shelter the buildings from neighboring properties. The multiple structures on the property are well-suited for our quarantine, work space, and storage needs. The passive income that would come from maintaining the agricultural activities on the property would help the rescue become more financially stable.

Our goal is to raise the total purchase price, closing costs, and immediate repair costs totaling $260,000 by October 15, 2026.

Please donate to our Make it Pawsible! Building Fundraiser. Every donation counts, no matter the size!