Our Shelter

Call us at 707.963.7044 to learn more about these and other fine cats available for adoption.

We welcome individuals wishing to adopt to visit the We Care Refuge. Please call to set up an appointment, as we are unable to accomodate drop ins.

We have a $50 adoption donation which includes all shots to date and spay/neuter.

We have an application process which requires a minimum of 24 hours to complete.

We are funded entirely by private donations and sincerely thank the community for your continued support after all these years, we could not do it without you. We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support after 2005 New Year's devasting flood. The community’s commitment to their local shelter gave us the support we needed to rebuild and open our new flood proof facility, we are forever grateful for your kindness.

ABOUT US

We Care Animal Rescue is committed to providing help for those animals who have no advocates and are voiceless. All the animals here at the refuge have been discarded, abandoned, or slated for euthanasia. You will find many different personalities, and characteristics of animals here; some are shy and others are bold, some are young and some are old, some are agile and some are aging, but all uniquely special. They all deserve a safe, permanent, loving home.

Our refuge in St. Helena provides nurturing care for over 150 animals. We abide by a "no-kill" philosophy. This means that any animal that is accepted into our facility will remain until a loving home can be found. For many of the animals the shelter serves as their forever home while other lucky souls catch the eye of an adopter and get to move on to a home of their own. The refuge is primarily for adult animals since these are the ones that often struggle to find the help and care they so desperately need and deserve.

The refuge was designed with the animals comfort and care as a top priority, especially since knowing that for some this is their home. We try to offer them a peaceful, serene, home-like environment where they can live and enjoy life. All the animals are free roaming. Even the feral cats rescued for the feral program that are in transition here at the shelter, before moving onto their new home, have their own feral cat room and outdoor cattery where they can be cage free.

The cat portion of the refuge offers a large building with access to a huge open air outdoor courtyard where they can bask in the sun, watch birds fly overhead and wildlife in the neighboring vineyard. The shelter is a quiet place with a fountain flowing, wind chimes blowing and offers them a stress free setting.

The dogs have their own building and are free to lounge on their oversized chair, ottoman or beds. They have access to a huge outdoor dog yard with a multitude of beds, benches, dog houses, and shelters. They also have their own pet cat named Gabe, who prefers the company of dogs rather than his feline counterparts. Gabe and the dogs run the show, help with phones, visitors and are always up for what the day brings. They enjoy daily walks through the vineyards and dips in the neighboring creek. They are always free and are never caged or kenneled. We rescue our dogs from our local Animal Control. They send us those that are a bit more challenging for them to place. With love and patience these abused, discarded and neglected dogs are given a timeless home here until their adopter comes along.

ABOUT OUR ANIMALS

We have many animals that are perfectly healthy and wonderful and their only challenge is they have been dealt a difficult hand in life. We are committed to making their future bright. For these animals we work to find them permanent, loving homes and welcome adopters to visit the refuge to meet the many wonderful animals searching for a home to call their own. It is truly a unique experience for adopters; you will get to spend time with the animals while they are roaming free and in their element. This offers you an opportunity to really interact with them and also just sit down and see who is drawn to you. It is a fun, personal experience. We offer visits to the refuge by appointment and you get an opportunity to meet with your own personal adoption counselor. We know all these animals personally and work very hard to match the right animal with the family or individual adopting. We are able to tell you how they are with other animals, strangers, what they like and what kind of home they will thrive in.

ANIMALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

We have always been an advocate for the animals with special needs, so we have the medically & behaviorally challenged, in addition to elderly animals in our care. We have an entire building that focuses on our special needs and senior animal community.

The feline special needs building offers an outdoor courtyard and all the luxuries of the main shelter but in a quieter, slow-paced, older population of cats. Many of our elderly animals receive fluids on a daily or weekly basis to promote their health and well-being. The special needs cats are also spoiled with a morning and evening feedings of wet food.

ABOUT OUR OTHER PROGRAMS

We believe in giving back to our community and offering outreach programs. One of our outreach programs is the Savannah Program. We strive to diminish the suffering in the animal community by offering a variety of services to homeless animals which includes spay/neuter, medical assistance and food. We also work closely with Animal Controls to help the animals that are slated for euthanasia or ones that would be more challenging for them to place. By being a strict no-kill we can offer animals a timeless refuge here at our shelter. Since we are not putting them on time constraints to find their forever home they can take the time they need to find that perfect home.

feral4 (116K)

The Savannah Program was created in an effort to save the lives of cats that are abandoned at Animal Controls and left to be euthanatized. Cats that are left at county Animal Controls who are shy, under-socialized or feral never stand a chance. They are voiceless and prior to this program have had no advocates. They are quietly left to be euthanized after 6 days (State Mandated holding period). Since the program’s inception in 2003 we have saved hundreds of lives. Each year we save over a hundred cats that would have otherwise met an early and untimely death.

The Savannah Program was named after our shelter feral cat of many years, Savannah. In her spirit she lives on saving lives…lives that would have otherwise died. These cats are those that are too shy or feral to adopt. We believe through dedicated spay/neuter efforts that there are enough homes and outdoor environments in our county to eliminate the killing of shy under-socialized cats. These cats are use to outdoor living and they make wonderful outdoor garden cats. We rescue them and re-home them in locations away from busy roadways and where they are cared for and welcomed.