Well, hello there friends! Hello, 2022! You may have noticed that my planned one week hiatus morphed into a two week hiatus but never fear. I am back to share all of my inspiration and ramblings with you in 2022. An unexpected case of a stomach virus took me out for a bit and I just decided to not force myself to get back to writing before I was ready so took some extra time off. With that being said – I am late to do the Comments for a Cause this month but never fear. Today is the day so please read on.
Last month I chose the Alzheimer’s Association as the recipient for our Comments for a Cause. So many people are affected by this disease and it affects both those with the disease AND those who love them. If you want to read a little bit more just click here to go to that original post.
Thanks to each of my readers who faithfully read and comment on my posts, Chris and I are happy to report that we are making a donation of $127.50 to Alzheimer’s Association to help with their research in finding ways to help folks who have this disease. I know I say it all of the time but I really do have the best followers here on It’s Just Life. You keep the comments coming and that makes me so happy.
If you know me you know of my ongoing love affair with cats. It started when I was itty bitty and has not waned once over my lifetime. I can not count the number of photographs I have from my younger days where a cat is included. Case in point.
When I found out that my friend, Jennifer Shaw, was starting a non profit rescue for cats I was thrilled. I met Jennifer in my volunteering days at Pisgah Paws Cat Cafe and immediately found a kindred spirit. She is funny, intelligent, energetic and has a huge heart when it comes to all things animals. She put in the hard work to get a non profit registered and started and now Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue is a reality that is changing lives of kitties.
Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, foster-based rescue in Transylvania County, NC. We are dedicated to the welfare and rehoming of stray cats and kittens
Animal rescue is hard. It is beyond hard. It takes a lot of dedication and work to do what is best for the animal and Jennifer and her team of volunteers and fosters have created a safe and healthy environment for each and every animal that comes their way. There is a lot of heartbreak involved at times when animals are too damaged to be able to be saved but Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue, even in its short time in existence, is make a huge difference.
One such animal is Marshmallow.
This little baby came to the rescue with horrible eye infections and has been blind since she was a month old. After a long struggle (she’s 3 months old. now) with her eyes she has finally been approved for her eye enucleation surgery. While no one wishes an animal to go blind, this surgery will enable this precious kitten to live a life that is full and infection free. She will adapt and adjust and live the healthy life that she deserves. All thanks to Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue.
Jennifer shared a few thoughts with me about her passion. Please read below:
I started MLAR in April 2021 after gaining experience volunteering in animal rescue for a few years, and I saw a need for it in Transylvania County, especially with stray cats. There are a couple of TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) rescues in Buncombe county but we don’t have one here that specifically focuses on TNR, and that was what I hoped to do. We utilize TNR to humanely reduce overpopulation and improve the lives of community cats and it is especially needed in rural areas like ours! We also take in stray cats and kittens that have been overlooked and need vet care, and place them in safe foster homes until they are ready for adoption. Starting a nonprofit animal rescue during the pandemic had its difficulties, but what was unexpected was the support I received from other local rescues in and around Transylvania County that has made our success possible. Fostering good relationships with people working towards the same goals, staying honest, taking advice and knowing our capacity for care has been critical in running a successful rescue. I learned early on that recognizing our capacity for care and functioning within it would allow us to be the best resource for the animals and people in our community, and sometimes that entails saying “no,” which is never easy. However, when we have good relationships with other rescues, that means we can send people to our partner rescues. When it’s their turn to say no, they can send people to us. It works both ways and it can really be a wonderful thing when done properly. Most importantly, we are animal lovers, we love where we live, and we want to help our community. Running a nonprofit is not something that can be successful without support of the community. I’ve met wonderful people along the way and am looking forward to what 2022 has in store for our little rescue!
There are multiple ways that folks like me (and you) can support Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. Of course the primary way is to donate financially which helps them direct the funds to where it is needed most. That can be done directly on their website here. They also have wishlists on Chewy and Amazon and when someone orders an item they will be shipped directly to Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. Easy and stress free which is my way of doing things these days.
If you forgot or are new here this is how Comments for a Cause works. For every comment made this month on any post on It’s Just Life, Chris and I pledge to donate 50¢ to Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. At the end of the month I tally it all up and make the donation. Magic. Thanks to all of my faithful readers who support my various charities this has become my favorite feature on my blog. And this month it is all for the cats – so it is a super winner.
Please check out Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue by clicking on the various social media links below to get connected and keep up to date on what is going on with this worthy rescue. And maybe, just maybe, you might make a little donation to help Marshmallow with surgery costs. Special thanks to Jennifer for her dedication and work and for her willingness to contribute her thoughts for this post.
58 Comments
Leave a commentLove this! Our family has had 7 rescue cats over the years. All black cats!
That’s a lot of rescue cats. Black cats are amazing and get overlooked so often. Thank YOU for giving so many homes.
A puurfect cause!! Sorry, I couldn´t resist. Hope you are feeling better. xo
Giggle. It was warranted with this post. I am feeling back to normal, thank goodness.
I’m glad she was able to start the rescue group! While I’m not a cat person, I like to see animals being helped.
Any kind of rescue is a great thing, don’t you think? Thanks for your thoughts!
I hope Marshmallow’s road to recovery comes quickly for her so she can move on to her forever family.
Me, too! She deserves to live her best life!
Aw, that’s a wonderful cause. I wish I could give every kitty in the world a home….
I knew you would love it as well. Jennifer does amazing work!
So sorry to hear you dealt with that icky stomach bug and happy you are back! In all honesty, I’m not a cat person. But we’ve always loved our dogs- each one a rescue- most from our local pound when it was a kill shelter. Your list highlights the complexity of running a successful shelter which was really interesting to read about. Thanks.
It was a gift from darling Theo. 🙂 Totally worth it. Dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits–they all need love and good for you for rescuing your pets from kill shelters. Jennifer is ethical and honest and truly loves her animals.
Awww, little Marshmallow is adorable. Great cause!
Marshmallow is the cutest, right?
As someone who is very much a fan of rescue pets this is a beautiful way to start the year of comments for a cause. ❤️😻
I knew you would love this cause! Rescue pets are a big part of your life and I know you love everything animal!
Very proud of Jen and the work she is doing! Best of luck in 2022!
DeAnna thanks so much for popping in to leave a comment for MLAR! I am so excited to highlight them this month. Come back anytime and leave a comment on any post this month!
Jennifer does great work for the animals in Transylvania county. She is extremely dedicated and conscientious. Keep up the great life saving work!
Mary, thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. Jennifer does do great work and we are so excited that she has started MLAR in Transylvania County.
I have been involved in pet rsq for “nearly 30 yrs” & feel qualified to judge animal welfare groups.Jennifer Shaw is to be highly commended for her efforts& dedication through Mt Laurel
30 years is a long time! Thank you for what you are doing! And thank you for your words of support for Jennifer –they ring true with me as well.
If you get a chance Please feel free to “google” me or SAVE OUR STRAYS VT.I am honored to be recipient of 2014 American Red Cross HERO TO ANIMALS award.
We had a stray/feral cat come into our fenced yard and our dogs were killing it. It had one chance- me getting it outside the fence. I tried to grab it by the scruff of the neck in the frenzy of dogs and the cat bit me 🥺. The dogs then killed it in earnest after I cried out and my blood was everywhere. As if this weren’t horrible enough, I then had to get rabies antibodies, a rabies vaccine, and a tetanus shot in the ER. Mountain Laurel not only rescues and rehomes, they do rabies shots, spay/neuter, and ear tipping. If the cat that bit me had been vaccinated and ear tipped it would have made a huge difference to me that day. We live in a very rural county, this work is desperately needed. I’m so grateful to Jennifer for her hard work.
Jo–what a horrible story and experience you had! MLAR is really making a huge difference in our area and we are so happy that Jennifer has started such a great rescue. I am thrilled to be a very small part of fundraising for this worthy non profit! Thank you for stopping by –please feel free to pop on back anytime!
First, I’m sorry to hear you were dealing with a stomach bug. Thankfully that didn’t happen when you had Theo. I hope you are feeling better every day.
Thank you, Beth Ann (and Chris) for your ongoing support of worthy causes. What a blessing you are to many.
Thanks! Theo was the source but worth every single second of being sick! Honestly –that rotavirus had a long lasting reach since it took his parents out, his other set of grandparents AND his uncle over the span of the holidays. Whew. :-0.
Thank you for always being so encouraging and supportive of my “causes” . It is people like you who continue to drop by and comment that make this so successful and worthwhile. Thank YOU!
Another great cause !
Glad you’re feeling better too !
Right down the street from us. Glad they are around to help kitties in our community.
Rob— thanks so much for taking the time to comment! There are just so many who appreciate their work!
Thank you for choosing MLAR as this month’s comment for a cause recipient. We are so proud of Jen and all the work she is doing to rescue these animals. Her compassion, kindness and dedication are a testament to the wonderful person she is.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment. My admiration for Jennifer is huge and there are a lot of folks who agree with me. Thanks again!
So proud of my sister in law to do something truly amazing like this! She’s done so many adoptions in a short period of time. Keep up the good work!!
Jessica— thanks for stopping by! Jennifer is doing so much already! It really is amazing!
What a wonderful cause Beth Ann. Jennifer is doing such a great thing for the cats & kitties. God bless her and I know she will make a big difference. Glad to have you back.
What a great cause.
A huge Thank you to MLAR for the service you are providing to the community!
I’ve know Jen personally for 34 years, and when I say she is 100% focused on safe, ethical, educated, treatment and care of these cats, you can trust me. There are a lot of questionable organizations in the US, but she is the real deal. She’s a Master’s Degree level woman, on-the-level human, and intelligent person. MLAR heals up and rehomes feral, in-danger, and/or ill-treated felines ridiculously efficiently. In the past year she’s cultivated relationships in the community, and created a network of like-minded individuals with one focus- to help kitties. Nice!
Thank you so much for your rave review of Jen! I thoroughly agree!
👍💚
Love Jennifer and her rescue. Appreciate all those dedicating their time and energy , remember no paid positions. I adopted 2 from Mtn Laurel last August that were part of a litter from a barn cat. They bring joy to me every day as well as a few headaches, kittens right, lol.
Adopt don’t shop😻
Thank you, Mary Jo! I am so glad to hear your story and I know Jen is the best. We are all big fans, right?
MLAR is a wonderful nonprofit organization These people who work day in and day out on behalf of the voiceless animals deserve so much praise. But they don’t do it for praise, they do it out of the kindness of their hearts and their love of animals.. TNR is a humane and effective approach for stray and feral cats. They also provide veterinary care, and find homes for so very many cats who would be living and dying on the streets. Jennifer happens to be my daughter, and I am beyond proud of what she has accomplished.
She is completely committed, dedicated, educated, and determined to help these animals. This IS a reputable organization, and Jennifer along with those that volunteer for MLAR put their whole hearts into this wonderful organization. ♥ 🐈⬛🐈👍
Thank YOU for raising such a compassionate daughter! I agree that TNR programs are essential and all of the things that Jennifer is doing with MLAR are making a huge difference. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment.
What a great cause ♥️♥️
I agree!
Poor little marshmellow. God bless the people that put their heart, soul and time to bettering the lives of these helpless kitties. Thank you especially to Jennifer 😊🐱🐈
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Life for Marshmallow looks so much better now thanks to MLAR!
MLAR takes care of cats that need help by treating their physical issues as well as finding them a forever home. These innocent animals need the help that MLAR provides! Keep up the good work Jennifer!
Thanks, Lydia! We are so happy Jen started MLAR!
What a nice gesture
It’s a great group and we are so happy to highlight them! Thank you!
Thank you for donating to MLAR!!
Thank you for taking time to stop by and comment!
Sounds like such a great cause. Thanks for helping so many kitties.
Thank you for stopping by! MLAR is making a difference in our county!
Marshmallow is my only weakness! 😍😻 She looks very happy in Jennifer’s videos, despite the eye condition! 🥺
Nothing better than saving an animals life. Well maybe someone who dedicated their life to do just that. Bravo