We believe every feline deserves respect and access to a safe, nurturing environment. Our mission is to ensure that every adoptable cat in our care finds a loving home — and that the cats living in our community's outdoor colonies receive humane, sustained care through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return.
Izzy Mae Feline Rescue was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2024, but the work behind it had been going on for years before that. A small group of Bay Area dedicated cat lovers had been quietly trapping community cats, fostering kittens out of spare bedrooms, and driving cats to vet appointments at their own expense — long before there was a board, a tax ID, or a website.
By 2024, the operation had grown beyond what informal volunteer work could sustain. Formalizing as a 501(c)(3) meant the work could scale: we could accept tax-deductible donations, apply for grants, and partner with shelters and local vets as a recognized organization.
Today we operate as a board of three unpaid volunteers, supported by a technical advisor and a network of foster families and community supporters. We have no paid staff. We have no office. What we have is years of combined hands-on experience, working relationships with our local SPCA and partner veterinarians, and a refusal to give up on cats other people have given up on.
All board members are unpaid volunteers. There is no paid staff.
Our work isn't seasonal — it's continuous. Every week we trap and transport cats to vet partners for sterilization and vaccination. Every week our foster families care for cats and kittens recovering from surgery, awaiting adoption, or being socialized for placement. Every week we feed and monitor community colonies across the Bay Area, watching for new arrivals (which we then trap and sterilize), answering calls not answered by local authorities and stepping in when a cat needs medical care.
This sustained presence is what makes our work effective. TNVR isn't a one-time event — sterilized colonies need ongoing food, monitoring, and veterinary attention to stay stable. Foster cats need weeks or months of patient care before they're ready to be adopted. Medically fragile cats coming out of the shelter system often need months of treatment and recovery.
Although our local government agency provides neutering, vaccines, and release, they do not trap community cats. Our rescue provides that service to the community. We also facilitate rescue of sick and injured cats.
Without TNVR, outdoor colonies continue to grow. Without education, well-meaning feeders accelerate colony growth.
We fill that gap. Every week, on our own time, with our own funds. We are unpaid volunteers. There is no paid staff. Every dollar donated goes directly to the cats.
In our first full year of operation, Izzy Mae Feline Rescue:
Community cats trapped, neutered, vaccinated, and returned through our TNVR program.
Cats and kittens fostered through our volunteer foster network.
Cats placed directly into adoptive homes.
Invested directly into food, litter, vaccinations, and medical care.
Izzy Mae Feline Rescue is registered in California. Our hands-on rescue, TNVR, fostering, and community support work serves cats and communities across the San Francisco Bay Area.
We're actively building out the organization in our second year. Current priorities include: