Forever Love Rescue is an all-volunteer, no-kill shelter that provides a temporary home for some of the many homeless cats in Gettysburg.
The shelter is operated by Stephanie Baum and her husband Jeff. The Baums have been working in animal rescue for over a decade. “In 2012, we were looking for a family dog after ours passed away, and we ended up looking at a shelter in South Carolina. We saw the number of homeless animals there and decided that we wanted to help,” said Stephanie Baum.
Originally, Forever Love Rescue was a dog shelter. However, as the population of homeless cats increased in Gettysburg, the Baums shifted their focus. “By 2019, we had opened a cat shelter by the Gettysburg post office, and slowly shifted our focus towards cats,” said Baum. “We decided to get involved in helping them get off the street and finding them homes,” she said.
Inside the rescue, now located at 39 Queen Street, cats freely wander the building, which resembles a home more than an animal shelter. Most cats are not caged—they are allowed to wander like they would if they lived in a house. Some residents have stayed for as many as four years.
Baum said keeping the animals uncaged and able to wander allows them to become acquainted with a home environment, easing the transition from shelter to home after adoption. “We don’t want to keep them in a cage for years,” said Baum.
“We wanted to make sure that it’s home-like,” said Baum. “Our goal is not just to make sure that cats get adopted, but also to make sure that cats are placed in the right home.”
Forever Love Rescue also promotes a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program aimed at minimizing the local feral cat overpopulation problem “These feral cats are wild, they are unsocialized. There is a big difference between a stray cat and a wild, feral cat,” said Baum.
Because female cats can have 4-6 kittens per litter, feral cat populations can increase rapidly. TNR caretakers, partnered with Forever Love Rescue, trap, neuter, and release these cats so they cannot reproduce.
Baum said approximately 20 to 30 feral cats are neutered through the TNR program each week in Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland Counties.
“Making them happier, healthier, and incapable of reproducing is the goal of Trap-Neuter-Release,” said Baum.
Help local cats through Forever Love Rescue
Forever Love Rescue participates in the annual Adams County Giving Spree for local nonprofits, “It’s an amazing day, they have a big goal and I hope they make it. Adams County is a very generous county.”
You can also donate to Forever Love Rescue online at bit.ly/FLRPaypal or bit.ly/FLRVenmo, or by mail: Forever Love Rescue 39 Queen St. Gettysburg PA 17325.
Pet supplies can be donated at the location daily from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Just ring the doorbell and a volunteer will be glad to meet you.
You can donate supplies online through Amazon at bit.ly/FLRAmazonWishLists or Chewy at bit.ly/ChewyFLR
Apply to adopt a cat here: bit.ly/FLRAdopt
Sign up to volunteer here: bit.ly/VolunteerFLR
Sign up to foster here: bit.ly/FLRFoster
No cats or kittens can be dropped off. We only accept new intakes by appointment and only if we have available space in foster care. We have full cages here, so we are not accepting many new cats at this time. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
Order a pet portrait. For a donation of $40 you will receive a hand-made portrait of your pet created by a student from the Fairfield School District National Art Honor Society. What a great way for you and these students to support a local cause.
Vincent DiFonzo, intern, is a junior student at Gettysburg College, originally from West Chester, PA. He is studying international affairs and history with minors in political science and economics. Outside Gettysburg Connection, Vince is an editor for the Gettysburg Social Science Review (GSSR), serves as the opinions editor for the Gettysburgian and works for as the managing editor of Ike's Anvil. Vince loves traveling, geography, and discovering new music, and will study abroad in Berlin this spring.
These folks are super. The hard work they do to protect our furry friends is phenomenal. All this is accomplished with volunteers with the exception of one paid employee. So folks, dig down deep and donate. You can always drop off food and other items. Call and ask them what they need. Please visit their Face Book page.
Well written article and a great organization.
Thank you for this shout out about a very worthy organization who does such good work!