Meet Sara Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Wilson.

Sara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey into rescuing cats was sudden and definitely unexpected. In 2019 I had just finished my first year of college and had come home for summer break when I got a call about a family friend who had two litters of kittens that needed medical attention. I had just started my summer job working at an animal hospital, and I was the first person they thought of to help. There were eight kittens in total, all suffering from bad upper respiratory infections that caused them to not be able to eat on their own, and thus had to be bottle-fed. They were malnourished and very sickly. I had never owned a cat, let alone eight sick kittens, and the only space we had available for them was my bathroom at my mom’s house, so that’s where we set up shop. For the rest of the summer, I along with my coworkers and close friends nursed these babies back to health and eventually found their forever homes. That summer changed the course of my life entirely, and I knew that I would be in the rescue world for many years to come.

June of 2021 was when I officially launched my own cat rescue, The Cat’s Meow Rescue. Currently, we have adopted around 20-25 cats/kittens since then, and hope to adopt many more!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Rescuing animals is a hard road to walk, one that is not smooth and has many turns- from animals you aren’t able to save, or the ones that help came too late. It’s an emotionally challenging field to be in. My rescue, while we take in cats of all ages, has a deep focus on not only the young kittens but the senior cats that are placed in hospice as well, mainly due to medical conditions. So while you are watching all the joyful moments that come from the growing kittens, you also have to be there for the heartbreaking final moments of the hospice cats.

It’s also hard to see what this world is capable of when it comes to the treatment of animals. Life can be undescribably cruel to animals and their well-being. You find that a lot of animals come to rescue because they have endured some type of trauma- hoarding cases, animal cruelty, abuse, breeding mills, abandonment, etc.

Rescue can start out in very emotionally hard places, and not everyone is as supportive of rescue efforts as you might think. Since opening the rescue, I have been taken aback by the negative comments and opinions that come from certain individuals. It’s a hard line to walk, but you have to take it in stride to do what is right for the ones who don’t have a voice to speak for themselves.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a part-time small animal Veterinarian Technician, and I also do pet sitting/boarding on the side to help cover expenses at the rescue.

At the animal hospital, I work, I am known as the one who always has a cat with them and loves any cats that come in for appointments. I am most proud of opening my own rescue and helping out the animals that need it, and finding them loving homes.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The plan for the future of the rescue right now is to expand. As of right now, the rescue is run solely out of my house, and I am hoping that I can find a building with more space to move to.

I dream of a place with a big open space for the adoptable cats to run and play while potential adopters come by to meet them. I hope we would also be able to expand our hospice section and be able to provide a loving place for the cats who are in their final stages of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.petfinder.com/member/us/tn/nashville/the-cats-meow-rescue-tn999/
• Instagram: @the.cats.meow.rescue
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecatsmeowrescue615/

Image Credits
Kody Mayberry