Jess Ferneyhough and her husband Garret saw the need to help lost and feral cats in the area and opened up Scaredy Cats Animal Sanctuary in February 2023.
The sanctuary is located on 1.5 acre property just two minutes north of the Big Apple in Colborne.
“We could see the need, some cat colonies were getting so large and out of control,” said Jess. “Not just for spay and neutering services but also helping concerned community members who wanted to help but didn’t know how.”
Jess has a background in animal health. She and her husband moved to the Northumberland area a few years ago and she worked for the Northumberland Humane Society for 3 years.
“Animal welfare is my true undying passion. I worked at the local humane society for just short of three years and I’ve been fine tuning my trapping skills,” said Jess.
Community members can contact Scaredy Cats Animal Sanctuary when they see a stray cat or animals in need. Jess knows how to trap and contain them safely and she then brings them to their sanctuary for assessments.
The animals go through an assessment process, they scan for microchips and contact the local Humane Societies to see if any owners are looking for their cats. They keep cats in isolation for 5 to 7 days to ensure that they are not contagious but during that time, Jess is also checking and resolving any health issues they may have, like fleas, ticks or ringworm too.
If no owner is located, and they are medically cleared, Jess works with Northumberland Humane Society, Marely’s Pet Rescue and Toe Beans to get cats on the adoption path to a forever home.
Jess told us that so far they’ve had great success with the felines they’ve rescued.
Scaredy Cat Animal Rescue is very new, they are not quite ready for volunteers to be on site but they would appreciate if members of the public could help spread the word about them. Also if they could like their Facebook and Instagram pages and share their posts.
“We want to be a resource in the community, and that we are here to help when needed,” added Jess. “We could also use some help taking animals to their vet appointments, or even help with answering emails too.”
For more information about the Scaredy Cat Animal Rescue visit you can send them an email at scaredycats.cramahe@gmail.com or visit them on Facebook (6) Facebook or Instagram @scaredycatanimalrescue
Written by Alicia Vandine
