Many wonderful animal rescue groups have gone unnoticed. Today we have chosen the Goathouse Refuge to accept the fund we raised through the Save Meow Project (we donate 5 cents for every comment you make on LoveMeow.com) and we would like to share their stories with all of you. Thanks Licia Grainger for referring this lovely organization to us. The Goathouse Refuge (located in Pittsboro, North Carolina) is a no-kill animal sanctuary dedicated to providing cage-free care for cats regardless of age, medical issues or disposition until a permanant loving adoptive home can be found.

All the rescues can roam freely all day except for the sick cats who are taking medication and the new arrivals who are temporally caged until they are vetted and ready to transition into the population as a whole.

Who is the hero behind the organization? Let's hear the story from her, Siglinda Scarpa, founder and primary benefactor of The Goathouse Refuge.

When I was a little girl my father, who sometimes worked late at night, came home with a little gray tabby cat wet and cold and put him under the blankets in my bed. I warmed him up and kept him on my heart until he started purring and for the rest of the night. There was where he slept for the rest of his life. I called him Muci.

He’d become sick when he was just about one year old and all my bicycle trips to the veterinarian didn’t save his life. The pain of his death was so devastating that I started to bring home and care for as many cats as my mother would allow me to bring into the apartment. I loved animals, especially cats, and many shared my life. Many are not here anymore, but I remember them all.

So I formulated a dream … a dream of a sanctuary for cats. This would be another chance; a safe haven for cats that were dispossessed or scheduled for euthanasia by public shelters. In my dream, no cat would be euthanized unless it was suffering with no hope of recovery. The Refuge would be a place where even cats that were unadoptable could live in comfort, with the care, attention and love they deserve. No cat would be refused due to age, illness or disposition.

The ultimate goal for each cat would be adoption into a loving home. But the Refuge would be designed so that they could spend ample periods of time living comfortably, awaiting adoption. In fact, it would be designed so that a cat could spend years, or its entire lifetime, at the Refuge. This meant that the cats would be cage-free. Groups of cats would live in large rooms, where they could roam and play without restraint. And, of course, all of the cats would be given human attention and interaction, along with high-quality food and on-site medical care.

Day by day my dream is unfolding. Though still in its infancy, The Goathouse Refuge has placed many cats and kittens in forever homes and more then forty are permanent residents here. One building has been dedicated for their home and more construction and improvements are planned. The Refuge was founded with my personal resources and with income from my pottery, I find a way to feed and care for all the creatures in transit and in residence. Along the way some immensely valuable friends and volunteers have joined the Refuge.

In order to carry on fulfilling her dream, Siglinda has dedicated her life to the animals. You can check out this beautiful cat sanctuary at their facebook page or their website.

The Goathouse Refuge completed a 3-acre enclosure for the cats to roam outside earlier this year. "This was captured just moments after we opened the gate for the first time so that our cats could enjoy their new, 3-acre enclosure!"