It all starts with a cat.

That’s where the circle begins—a stray on the porch, a quiet rustle under the shed, or a pair of glowing eyes in the garden at dusk. Twenty years ago, founder Sally and a small group of passionate neighbors looked around South King County, saw a desperate need for accessible feline care, and decided to take action.

What started as a modest grassroots effort—hauling traps out of garages and driving weekly transports north of Seattle—has grown into a regional lifeline. As South County Cats celebrates our 20th Anniversary, we aren't just looking back on numbers. We are celebrating the real heart and soul of this organization: the unsung heroes who literally do whatever it takes to save lives.

On the Frontlines

If you want to know what drives South County Cats, you don't look at a spreadsheet—you look at what our team is doing right now, at this very moment. What makes this team truly extraordinary is that most of our team members are balancing their dedicated rescue work alongside regular employment. After finishing their day jobs, their "second shift" begins:

• At the Front Door: Founder, Sally balances a career as a teacher, her duties as Board Treasurer, and setting the operational standard every single day. When donations of canned food and heavy bags of litter land on her porch, Sally personally hauls and drives it out to our Ravensdale storage location. Sometimes she still traps in the field and works at the clinic, making sure the laundry will get done, and guiding and training the new Executive Director to help build a sustainable future.

• Behind the Scenes: Our TNR Coordinator Deb, wears countless demanding hats. Right now, she might be sitting quietly in the dark waiting on a trap for an elusive mama cat and her four three-week-old kittens. Tomorrow morning, she’s orchestrating the delicate, brain-power-heavy logistics—managing field trappers, responding to TNR requests, double-checking intake details, and ensuring every cat is checked in and smoothly and safely handed off to our clinic partners.

• Making Perfect Matches: Cathy, our Adoption Program Coordinator and Board Member, spends her time reviewing adoption applications as they come in and talking with prospective families. Loved and cherished by anyone who has ever adopted a cat through SCC, Cathy works with incredible empathy to ensure every socialized kitten or cat lands in a safe, forever home.

• At our “Benson Inn”: One of our clinic partners, Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project, is wrapping up an intense day after successfully altering many cats (today it was 61!). But the work doesn't stop when surgery ends. Claire, leads our Cat-Care team to oversee post-op recovery, while a volunteer steps up to haul mountains of clinic laundry so everything is clean and fresh for the next clinic.

• Our Foster Network: Many, many, many kittens are currently being cherished and socialized in SCC foster homes—all supported after hours by a bare-bones, tight-knit team. Debbie, one of our incredible long-time foster parents, has her bottle-feeding supplies set up and waiting. If mama cat doesn't enter Deb’s trap tonight, Debbie will step in to feed those tiny three-week-old kittens round-the-clock til they can make it on wet food alone.

The cycle goes on and on, and it never really slows down. If we could nominate every single one of our coordinators and volunteers for Volunteer of the Year, we would do it in a heartbeat. They are the backbone of our "Circle of Care."

Two Decades of Growing Impact

Our team's relentless spirit didn't appear overnight—it was forged through twenty years of steady, determined growth:

• 2006 (The Spark): South County Cats is founded by Sally and a small circle of passionate volunteers as an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) operating out of personal garages and vehicles.

• 2008 (Establishing Vouchers & Assistance): SCC establishes its direct financial assistance and voucher program, expanding community spay/neuter access for low-income residents and caretakers who previously had nowhere else to turn.

• 2010 (Building Community TNR Networks): As colony management needs explode, SCC formalizes loaner trap networks and begins hands-on community education, teaching local neighbors how to humanely trap and manage neighborhood cats.

• 2012 (The Pasado’s Spay Mobile Era): SCC launches a major ongoing partnership with Pasado’s Safe Haven, bringing their mobile spay/neuter unit directly into South King County. Parking at RASKC, local shopping centers, and community events, this partnership brings surgery access directly to residents' doorsteps for eight years.

• 2020 (The Renton Clinic Launch): In the middle of the global pandemic, SCC signs the lease on our Benson Road facility and partners with the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project (FCSNP), bringing high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) directly to Renton.

• 2026 (20 Years & Beyond): Celebrating over 37,000 total cat alterations in our history—including 20,000+ right at our Renton clinic—and hiring our first paid Executive Director to ensure this safety net stands strong for the next 20 years.

The Wisdom Keepers 

Organizations don't survive for two decades without leaders who wear many hats and step up whenever and wherever help is needed. South County Cats has been profoundly shaped by longtime team members whose dedication has evolved right alongside the organization's growth. At the center of daily operations are our Program Coordinators. They are the organized engines and steady hands that keep our bare-bones team punching far above its weight:

• Cindy (Board President & Transfer Program Coordinator): In addition to working her full-time job and guiding our organization as Board President, Cindy steps directly into field logistics as Transfer Coordinator, building key relationships to move cats safely into expanding networks. She also volunteers with Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Project on clinic days.

• Deb (TNR Coordinator & Board Secretary): A retired Boeing engineer who brought tech ingenuity to field trapping. Between managing trappers, sitting in unfamiliar territory on night stakeouts, and steering the high-stakes intake process at our Benson location before clinic handoffs, her brain power keeps the TNR engine running.

• Cathy (Adoptions Coordinator & Board Member): Balancing her part-time work, Cathy is cherished by every family who adopts through South County Cats. She brings genuine love and patience to the adoption process, ensuring every rescued cat finds their perfect forever home.

• Claire (Cat-Care Coordinator): Claire skillfully manages clinic-day logistics and cat care team, as well as keeps Benson Inn organized and running smoothly so that our TNR cats in recovery wake up warm, fed, and safe.

• Sonya (Volunteer Coordinator): Managing her role alongside a full-time career, Sonya is the heart of our outreach, onboarding and encouraging the army of neighbors who step up to help.

• Sylvia (Foster Coordinator): Balancing a full-time job with round-the-clock rescue demands, Sylvia coordinates our foster parents, ensuring the plethora of kittens coming in on a continual basis get the medical care and socialization they need.

• Cathleen (Donations Coordinator): Alongside working part-time, Cathleen keeps the donations, food, and crucial resources flowing between the clinic and our storage facility. She spends much of her time sorting through endless cans and bags of cat food ensuring the right product gets to into the hands of the care takers that need it.  

• Trish (Trapper, Foster & RASKC Ambassador): Bringing boundless positivity and deep experience, Trish serves as a vital bridge to RASKC while staying active in the field as a trapper and foster parent. Always ready with an endless supply of wisdom, she helps keep our community partnerships strong and our rescue pipeline moving. 

• Gina (Clinic Liaison & previous CAToberfest Chair): Working part-time outside of SCC caring for people’s pets, Gina is a cornerstone of clinic logistics and a wealth of institutional knowledge who acts as the vital bridge between our team and clinic partners, while having previously steered our biggest annual fundraiser, CAToberfest. She also offers the best snacks!

• Connie (Former CAToberfest Chair & Event Veteran): Among other SCC lead roles, Connie led the charge for many years to make CAToberfest the thriving community success it is today, keeping our grassroots fundraising strong. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge.

Together, Gina and Connie ensure the heart of our culture remains focused on gratitude. They poured their energy into organizing and hosting our Annual Meeting/Volunteer Appreciation in March as well as our 20th Anniversary Volunteer Potluck coming up this weekend—making sure the incredible people behind the scenes feel as cherished as the animals they save.

Celebrating Every Hand & Heart

South County Cats only keeps going because of the immense, dedicated community wrapped around us. Whether active, inactive, brand new, or legacy volunteers—foster parents opening their homes to fur-babies, field trappers waiting out late-night stakeouts, cat-care volunteers wiping down recovery crates, laundry heroes hauling heavy loads, or outreach teams spreading the word—every single person who has ever lent a hand is part of this 20-year milestone. To all of our incredible volunteers across two decades—thank you for being the heart and soul of South County Cats:

Alice W., Alison D., Amanda Y., Angela A., Angela P., Ann S., Annette P., Anze K., April C., Barb S., Beverly P., Blair, Blythe A., Brittey G., Brenda C., Cathie B., Charney S., Cheri S., Chris O., Christina H., Clay G., Delaura G., Denisse Q., Destiny B., Elizabeth B., Erika A., Erin B., Erin B., Isabella (Bella) D., Jacqueline & Naia H., Jay B., Jenn C., Jennetta E., Jennipher B., Jennifer C., Jennifer M., Julie F., Kailey S., Kaitlyn G., Katherine "Katie" S., Kathy S., Katie M., Katie T., Katye G., Kylee B., Kim R., Laura G., Laura S., Liliane T., Linda S., Lisa C., Lisa F., Lisa G., Lisa R., Lisa V. & Keven, Lori T., Lucia R., Lynn L., Lynnette L., Marlee M., Melanie E., Niko O., Michelle C., Miranda H., Monica P., Nadine F., Pat F., Penny S., Ralph C., Rose G., Ruth L., Leslie B., Sara R., Sheila P., Shelby B., Shirene P., Shon C., Salmon R., Stefanie M., Surayah H., Tammy C., Taralee M., Taylor N., Thai D., Thuy (Twee) D., Tian T., Tiegan M., Tiffany B., Tracy M., Trish B., Valerie M., Wendy O., Chris, Julene B., Diana, Rakel S., Tamara S., Peyton V., Andy G., Samayyah W., and Naomi M.

Whether you gave an hour, a single season, or two full decades—you built this lifeline, cat by cat. Here’s to twenty years of rescue, community, and heart... and to the impactful future we are building together!