Our Mission
The mission of Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary is to offer a safe haven for cats who are homeless, neglected, injured, or abused. We help other animals when we have a foster for them.
Our Organization
Since 2001, Thundering Paws has operated a no-kill, non-profit 501(c)(3) animal sanctuary located in Dripping Springs, Texas. We are home to an ever-changing number of animals, mostly cats, sometimes a dog. We provide our beloved residents shelter, food, filtered water, spaying/neutering, vaccinations, veterinary care, and a lot of love and attention.
In addition to the sanctuary, we support a network of foster families and animal advocates which helps expand our reach and care for many more animals than can stay at the sanctuary.
We know you care about animals because you’ve taken the time to visit our site—that alone shows a good heart. Though all of us have heard stories that pain animal lovers, we at Thundering Paws want you to know that there’s good news, too—and lots of it!
All donations to Thundering Paws are tax-deductible. We rely on our volunteers and generous donors to keep us going, and appreciate any help you can give. Visit our donation page to make a contribution.
What We Do
Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary is home to dozens of rescued animals. Our residents receive:
▸ premium food and filtered water
▸ health tests, vaccinations and veterinary care — we test all cats for feline leukemia virus (FelV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV); all dogs for heartworms
▸ clean and temperature-controlled housing — many of our cats have access to screened outdoor areas
▸ spay and neuter surgery
▸ lots of love and attention
Our Rescues
Our animals come from many places. Some come from their former guardians, some just walk up the driveway. About 75% are adoptable—we find them homes. Others are feral (wild) cats who have had no positive contact with humans. They, too, have good lives at Thundering Paws. Our foster home network helps us care for many more animals than can stay at the sanctuary.
Some animals arrive fearful and cannot be adopted until they learn what it’s like to be touched by gentle hands. Others need time to recover from injuries or illness before they go to their new homes.
While spay/neuter is the only permanent solution to the overpopulation of companion animals, Thundering Paws wants animals who are already born to have full, happy lives. That is why we are a no-kill facility.
Shelter Animals Count
Shelter Animals Count is an independent 501(c)(3) with broad collaboration from the animal welfare community. By creating standardized reporting and definitions for shelter statistics including intake, adoptions, return-to-owner, transfers, euthanasia and shelter deaths, we will increase live outcomes. The board is dedicated to furthering more transparency with anonymity through sharing of shelter data to increase lifesaving opportunities.
Thundering Paws is a proud participant in Shelter Animals Count. Click here to view our 2018 Data Report from Shelter Animals Count.
| Our Lifesaving Percentage* for 2018 was 94%. | |
|---|---|
| *Calculated as follows: | |
| Total animals in our care in 2018 | |
| 84 in sanctuary or foster at beginning of year, plus 76 additional animals taken in 2018 | |
| Positive outcomes in 2018 | |
| 85 were adopted, 1 returned to owner, 10 transferred out, 3 other live outcomes, 52 remaining in our care at end of 2018 | |
| 94% Lifesaving Percentage = 151 / 160 | |
| Inevitably in a sanctuary organization that provides lifetime care for unadoptable animals, there will be a few that die of old age or untreatable conditions each year. We had 9 of these in 2018, and we miss them all. | |