3/28 Cat Rescuer of the Day: Dawn Mendygral

The Cat Rescuer of the Day

The Cat Rescuers is an upcoming documentary about four dedicated volunteers who are saving the lives of hundreds of abandoned and feral cats on the streets of Brooklyn.

Our film calls attention to a global issue being addressed by thousands of organizers and heroic human beings – those who do TNR, volunteer at shelters, take on fosters, what have you.  Since we could only put a fraction of those wonderful people in our film, we’ve created the Cat Rescuer of the Day program to celebrate the efforts of as many as possible.


Meet Today’s Rescuer: Dawn Mendygral of Hanover Township, PA!

Rescue Efforts:

I started my own 501(c) (3) non-profit Cat Rescue, Happy Hearts & Tails Safe Haven. I spend two days a week doing TNR. I usually do at least 10 cats weekly. i go out into the community and work on colonies. I trap and transport, also provide food and shelters for many too. I started tnr’ing four years ago. I also remove the kittens and friendly cats, get them fully vetted and find them homes.

One Rescue I’ll Never Forget Was…

Lux (lucky tux) is one boy I’ll never forget. I got a call about an injured cat that needs help. I grabbed my supplies and headed out to help him. When I pulled up, he was already in a crate on the lady’s porch who fed him. I grabbed my carrier and lined it up with the door of the crate and he went right in. It’s like he knew I was there to help him. Once secured, I took him immediately to my vet. I thought he’d lose his eye. He went back for surgery and when he came out I cried happy tears. His eye was saved. I was so happy for him. He looked so much better. He had gotten in a cat fight Dr. told me. I was just so grateful he was ok. From there, he went to foster to recover. After several weeks of antibiotics and rechecks he fully healed. The foster loved him so much she adopted him. I still get photos of him today. He is who inspired me to help the homeless cats and kittens. I never realized how many were out there that needed help.

One Thing I wish People Understood about Cats or Cat Rescuing Is…

I want them to know how wonderful and loving they’re and how appreciative they are to their caretakers. I wish more people understood this. I wish people would be more kind and compassionate to them. I would also like people to know how much work we do to help them and how passionate and dedicated I am to making their lives better everyday.

When I’m Not Rescuing Cats, I Like to…

Lolol When I am not doing TNR and rescue, I love spending time with my own rescues. I love camping and fishing too. My goal is to open a NO KILL shelter/sanctuary.

I’m Looking Forward to  The Cat Rescuers Film Because…

It will help educate people and give them a better understanding of what we do, and what they can do to help. I learned so much and have also taught people to TNR. One person said she started TNR because of me. That made every single moment I spend helping these kitties even better for me.

Be sure to follow @CatRescuersFilm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Click here to browse more Cat Rescuer of the Day posts.


Want to be Cat Rescuer of the Day? Click here to submit your answers today and we’ll feature you in an upcoming post.