Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Duca.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michelle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been an animal advocate and rescuer since a young girl. I knew then that one day I would be out saving animals as a chosen path. That beginning led me to working and volunteering at local animal controls, humane societies & pet stores. In 2010 I saw a growing need in Lake and Porter County that wasn’t being addressed. People were having trouble not only feeding them but feeding their beloved pets.
In January 2011, I started the Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry (KKPP) which provided temporary food & medical assistance to those who qualified. Then as now, it was an all-donation, non-for- profit, volunteer-based program. In 2013 I lost my mother unexpectedly, during this time I also faced some health issues. The KKPP kept me moving forward, not dwelling on my loss and vast change in my life. Also in 2013, the organization found itself looking for a new home.
For the past 3 years, we were fortunate to have had a donated storefront. With the move we found it challenging to secure donations to cover rent but somehow we managed. Then in 2015, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, an autoimmune that started to drain me, I was slowing down unable to do what I had before.
Somehow during this all, I often rescued a cat or kitten here or there. More cats started to show up needing help, these cats started to secure more donations dollars, volunteers, and brought on additional awareness. The cats were now covering the cost of the operations to run pet food pantry. Early 2016, I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis which answered many questions I had about my health. Life was starting to make sense I was being dealt a hand that would require me to slow down a bit. Running the KKPP was becoming a challenge for me both physically and mentally.
August 2016 I made the decision to close the pet food pantry, change the course from pet food distribution that would sometimes rescue and adopt out felines to being a feline sanctuary, hence the Feline Community Network. My Team and I typically rescue from low adoption/high euthanasia local animal controls – where these cats have minimal chance of finding a home again. We also have been called in to assist hoarding cases, picked up cats that were injured and sometimes trapped them in our own neighborhood.
All cats are vetted, checked over, fed and cared for until rehabilitated to be adopted if not able to be adopted they remain with us. I would like to say we never euthanize any cat, but the sad reality is some just cannot be saved. They’re either too injured or too sickly that their quality of life be questioned. It’s always a tough decision.
The Feline Community Network is about rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption in addition to providing education, working with other shelters and partnering with the community. It’s difficult, sometimes heartbreaking, but there are more moments of happiness & recovery that make you realize we are providing a service like no other. Through education, spay & neuter, trap, neuter & release programs and getting out to events we spread the word we all work to reduce the number of unwanted cats.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This journey has been anything but smooth. You must be open to learning about business protocols allowed in your city, keeping abreast of the latest and most effective cleaning procedures, and finding willing volunteers that will stick it out more than a day. Just the constant worry whether there will be enough funds to pay the overhead and vet bills is enough to make you wonder until you rescue a starvation case and see them flourish under our care. That is what puts all of this into perspective.
We currently are looking for a larger building that we can own, preferably through donation or land trust. Where FCN is located now is getting quite small without the ability to expand. We rent and it’s been affordable, however, the building isn’t matching the demand. We need to be able to have an isolation area that is sectioned off, offices that will allow us to work with area vets to offer low-cost pop-up vet services, large space for our waiting to be adopted cats, and the ability to help more.
Our local county and human society shelters turn away cats daily due and people with no other options turn to use. We want to be able to help with overflow and be of wider service.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Feline Community Network – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am the Executive Director and Founder of the Feline Community Network. We are not like your garden variety rescues – my team strives for cleanliness of the facility so when you come in it doesn’t smell like a typical cattery. We specialize in older / adult cats who have been cast aside and still have many wonderful years to give to a family. And throughout all, FCN is committed to promoting the cat-human bond while cultivating relationships with local Animal Controls, Humane Societies, Rescue Organizations and overall community.
We work to ensure the wellbeing of companion cats while working to end overpopulation, abuse, and unnecessary euthanasia. FCN’s priority is cats that are scheduled for euthanasia; we consider this an undeniable desperate situation. For this reason, the vast majority of cats at FCN come from shelters & animal controls that, of necessity, must euthanize. Secondly, our focus is working with Lake & Porter County, Indiana on admitting cats from desperate situations if space and aid are available. We will work to assist in our own backyards before going outside not only our counties but state.
Setting us apart from others would have to be our small but mightly attitude followed up by our setup and cleanliness of our sanctuary.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Oh, I love this question! Our plans for the future are securing our future in a larger building that is ours and not a rental unit. We look forward to helping reduce the ever-growing cat population by creating an aggressive spay and neuter program. low cost pop up clinics for the underserved in our community and working to change the perspective most have of cats.
Our biggest change would have to be the building, in order to continue to grow, we are on a quest to locate something in our immediate area, 4000 sq ft or bigger, and the ability to have funds to continue helping the cats that need us most.
Contact Info:
- Address: 154 S. Illinois St. Hobart, IN 46342
- Website: www.felinecommunitynetwork.org
- Phone: 219.947.4400
- Email: info@felinecommunitynetwork.org
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/felinecommunitynetwork
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/Felinesmatter
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