A Haven for Cats on Long Island - The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation

I’m sure it will be no surprise to our readers that when I attended Cat Camp in March my favorite spot was the adoption area. There were several shelters and rescues present, but I was particularly happy to see that the Patricia H. Ladew Foundation was there. I had been familiar with the Ladew Foundation for quite some time, receiving their newsletters and following them on Facebook, and I had been wanting to visit the sanctuary. I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Susan Whittred during Cat Camp who graciously invited me for a tour. 

Life at the sanctuary

The sanctuary is a very lovely, unassuming house situated on a residential street in Oyster Bay, NY. A caretaker lives in an apartment on the premises to make sure the daily needs of the cats are attended to. In addition to the caretaker, there are three full-time staff, three part-time staff and approximately 10 consistent volunteers, who are the cats’ family. 

Photo courtesy of theladewcatsanctuary.org

It was a rainy day when I visited, but the weather didn’t dampen the cats’ spirits. When I arrived, I was welcomed by two beautiful cats sitting in the window. 

It's a little hard to see, but there are two cats staring at me!

Entrance to the sanctuary.

Once I entered I was greeted with a chorus of meows and purrs from the less skittish cats who were rubbing my legs and enjoying being petted. This is my kind of heaven. 

The Main Room - complete with bird TV.

One of the cats cozy in a cubby

It's also heaven for the residents. There is plenty of catification with walkways, stairs, shelves, cubbies and cat trees. Not to mention Bird TV on flat screen televisions, all mounted on the appropriate level for the cats' viewing pleasure. 

At the time of my visit, there were 93 resident cats, with 100 being the limit. Last year a total of 164 cats were taken in, with 134 being adopted out to their forever homes. That's music to my ears. 

An alcove on the main floor of the house.

The house has many rooms that the cats live in. There are the main room and another room on the first floor, and two adoption rooms and Pat's Cats Room downstairs. All are comfortably and aesthetically decorated and furnished for the cats' comfort and enjoyment. The cats enjoy living in a cage free, home-like atmosphere with access to an outside catio and a playground. (Unfortunately, because of the weather, the cats were inside when I visited.) 

Photo courtesy of theladewcatsanctuary.org

Photo courtesy of theladewcatsanctuary.org

There is also a quarantine room where, upon entry, cats are housed until they can be examined and cleared of any communicable disease.

All of the cats looked happy, relaxed and well cared for, and I'm always impressed when a facility that is home to so many cats is clean and well organized!  When speaking with Dr. Whittred about the sanctuary and the cats, her dedication is obvious and she genuinely cares for their well-being and happiness. Animal rescue is a non-stop job. During my tour, Dr. Whittred got an alert on her phone about a cat at NYACC that was pulling at her heart strings. I wouldn't be surprised if that cat has found a new start in life at Ladew. 

Cats enjoying the shelves in one of the adoption rooms. 

One of the adoption rooms downstairs. 

There is an onsite clinic situated in back of the main house. Rubio, the hospital greeter, is one of the sweetest cats I've ever met and loves giving visitors lots of head bonks and kisses. (Rubio definitely gives Lola some competition in the "Sweetest Cat" category - but don't tell her I said that!)  Rubio is very bonded with Dr. Whittred, who described him as her "work husband".

The Handsome Rubio welcoming me to the clinic. 

The clinic, which was very clean and modern, provides the cats living in the sanctuary with both routine and emergency medical and dental care, as well as spaying and neutering. The resident cats are cared for by Dr. Whittred, Licensed Veterinary Technician, Lynne Carson, staff, and volunteers. I love when a sanctuary has onsite medical care because it eliminates the added stress of riding in a car and going to an unfamiliar environment. 

One of the rooms in the onsite clinic. 

I got to see kittens during my visit! 

"Hello! Who are you?"

This beauty is P.G., short for Pretty Girl. 

P.G. is looking for a forever home after her owner passed away.

P.G.'s owner recently passed away, and she luckily ended up at Ladew. She is 11 years old, and I bet she would love to spend the rest of her years with the right family. 

The sanctuary, which has been in the community since 1975, has a great relationship with their neighbors and the community of Oyster Bay. They received assistance when some excavation was needed, and the local Pet Value showcases their cats for adoption. Area vets also lend a hand if medical assistance is needed on a day Dr. Whittred (who also works at the Animal Hospital of the Rockaways) is not there. 

Outdoor Cats

The staff and volunteers also care for feral cats on the property. Frick, Frack and Frodo have lived on the block for many years and were cared for by kind hearted neighbors. When those neighbors moved, they made arrangments with the sanctuary for their ongoing care. Sadly, Frick passed away early this month at approximately 17 years of age. Frack recently had dental surgery and Frodo is doing well. 

Frick, Frack and Frodo's house. Photo courtesy of theladewcatsanctuary.org

History of the Ladew Cats

In 1975, Patricia Happie Ladew, a lifelong cat lover with a bottomless heart, formed and funded the Oyster Bay Cat Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization whose primary focus was to address the problem of homeless cats on Long Island. Over the next 27 years, Patricia dedicated her time, energy and resources to her foundation and these cats.  After her death in 2002, the foundation was formally renamed Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc. Now in its fifth decade, the foundation continues to provide homeless cats with hope, medical care, housing, and most of all love. 

Dr. Whittred has been involved with the sanctuary for 14 years. In her former career, she worked for Entertainment Attorney Elliot L. Hoffman, a friend of Patricia Ladew’s. When Patricia was looking for someone to take care of the Foundation after her death, Elliott thought she would be a perfect match.  Dr. Whittred, who is currently the Director, was friends with Patricia for 10 years prior to her death in 2002. Elliot was the President of the Foundation until his death last year. 

One of the rooms on the main floor. Some of the cats enjoy drinking from the faucet. 

Admissions

The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation is a closed admission sanctuary for homeless cats who are primarily rescued from Animal Care Centers of NYC  (formerly known as New York Animal Care and Control, the shelter Lola was rescued from) and from The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. The sanctuary has New Hope status and accepts cats who would be considered unadoptable due to many reasons (which could include illness, injury or temperament) and gives them a second chance at life. These cats would otherwise be slated for euthanasia. Cats who are considered "less adoptable" never have to fear about their future because they can live the rest of their years in peace and comfort at Ladew.

Due to their small size, the sanctuary is not able to accept cats from the public. They do, however, have a Surviving Pet Care Program. By enrolling in the program, a cat owner can have peace of mind knowing that their beloved pet will be cared for in the event they pass away or become disabled. For a set fee, the sanctuary will accept up to five cats and provide them with care for their lifetime. The fee can either be donated over owner’s lifetime or through planned giving. 

The Paw Project

Dr. Whittred is the Co-Director of New York for The Paw Project (Paws up for Dr. Whittred for advocating for a no-declawing nation!) Five years ago she received a postcard about the NYC screening of The Paw Project movie. “When I saw that it was a by a veterinarian, I was so happy to see that someone was brave enough to stand up for this issue! I went to the screening and met Dr. Conrad, my new hero! I introduced her to Jane of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, who introduced her to Assemblywoman Rosenthal, and the NY bill was born!” 

I am on Assemblywoman Rosenthal’s mailing list and receive updates on the bill. I applaud her for taking this to Albany and support her mission wholeheartedly. If you’d like to sign the petition to support this important bill, you can do so here. I had the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Conrad at Cat Camp NYC and attended her presentation. This is an important topic that I will be addressing in future blog posts. Rubio whispered in my ear that he assists Dr. Whittred in this mission. I’ll be interested to hear more details!

How You Can Help

When I asked Dr. Whittred what her greatest joy is about being at the sanctuary, she told me it is adoptions and matching the right people to the right cat. She also enjoys helping cats stay in their homes, educating people on cat care, and helping cats from ACC.  But they can only help so many due to their size and the amount of staff that they can afford. The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc. is able to continue this work through funds acquired from the New Hope Fund, the foundation's endowment, and through the generosity of donors. There are several ways you can donate, which include a making one-time donation, giving a monthly gift, or buying items from their  Amazon Wish list. You can also sponsor a cat, which, after visiting, I just had to do. And of course, I had to choose Lola. (How could I not?) The “other Lola” sent me a purrsonalized note, and I must agree with her; I do have wonderful taste in Lolas! 

I hope you enjoyed this peek into an organization that does wonderful things for cats. If you’re interested in volunteering or would like to visit the sanctuary, please call 516-922-CATS (2287). Cat sanctuaries are among my favorite places to visit, and my visits especially bring me joy when I can say that I would be comfortable with my cats being there in the event something happened to me. The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation is definitely in that category. I'm looking forward to visiting again.

Have you ever visited a cat sanctuary? 

Dawn