Paid for and written by Rivers Agency to help the Goathouse.
The Goathouse Refuge, a local staple and safe haven for cats since the early 2000s, is making progress on required physical improvements, but is still at high risk of being shut down. This move would leave area residents and animals without a much-needed and long-appreciated safety net. A recent state inspection prescribed numerous costly upgrades to the property in order for it to retain its license and stay open. An anonymous donor is offering up to $25,000 to match any donation of any amount individuals can make at this critical time. The Goathouse needs to meet its goal of $80,000 to keep providing its essential service. See the link below to help out.
While the community has already shown extraordinary support for this beloved Pittsboro nonprofit, continued volunteers and funding are urgently needed to protect the cats and the no-kill sanctuary they call home.
Goathouse Refuge has a proven track record of caring for and placing more than 4,000 cats into loving homes because of the meticulous work and compassion of its founder Siglinda Scarpa and many volunteers. For more than two decades, she has quietly cared for the thousands of abandoned cats that neighbors, strangers, social agencies, and animal rescue groups brought to the refuge. Some owners have even trustingly handed over their own pets when they were too sick or cash-strapped to continue caring for them.
Siglinda, who is 85 and recovering from heart surgery, calls each cat by name, allows them free-roam of her home and property, and provides a safe and clean respite while constantly networking to find adoptive forever families for her felines.
As an internationally recognized artist trained in sculpture and ceramics in her native Italy, Siglinda works tirelessly creating and selling her work to fund the sanctuary—all in addition to the needs of running the refuge. Community supporters have given time and money over the years to keep this Chatham County mainstay running. Even people who have never donated know the Goathouse.
They’ve brought their children to visit.
They’ve stood by the fence watching cats play in the yard.
They’ve stopped by just to sit quietly and spend time with the animals.
And when those same people find a cat in need, they turn first to the Goathouse.
Even non-locals are familiar. “Today” show journalist Jill Rappaport visited Goathouse Refuge in 2013 to spotlight its mission. Thousands of viewers took interest, prompting the Goathouse website to temporarily crash.
Although the refuge is currently at capacity, Siglinda continues to help every caller she can. Through a network of more than 400 rescue partners and organizations, she works to find alternatives, connections, and safe outcomes for all animals who need her help.
Despite all of this, the possibility that the refuge could be shut down is real.
The thought of authorities arriving and removing the cats is devastating, to Siglinda and to the community.
“For me, it is unthinkable,” Siglinda says. “After 24 years of hard work to keep this place true to our principles of respect and love for the animals, the idea that they could be taken away is unbearable.”
The outpouring of support since December has been nothing short of astonishing. Neighbors, visitors and supporters from across North Carolina and abroad, including longtime sustainers in Italy and Portugal, stepped forward to help protect a place they believe in.
They know the Goathouse.
They’ve seen the cats.
They’ve felt the spirit of the place.
And they know that sanctuaries like this don’t exist by accident, or survive without constant care.
The Goathouse is actively spreading gravel in the cat yard, resealing cement floors, covering exposed wood with metal, and addressing additional inspection items. Volunteer workdays are underway. Systems and documentation are being strengthened.
But the work is far from finished, and the funding goal is far from met.
For nearly a quarter century, the Goathouse Refuge has been a quiet constant in Chatham County. Now, it is at a crossroads, and its future depends on whether the community continues to stand with it.
The cats are still here.
The gates are still open, for now.
And the need for help is real and urgent.
To volunteer, donate, or help the Goathouse meet this critical moment, please visit:
www.goathouserefuge.org/donate/
You must be logged in to post a comment.