On Saturday, September 21, Evanstonians gathered at Baker Park. Families talked under the white tents decorating the lawn, and the lively chatter of kids mixed with live music in the air. This was the scene at Paws and Claws Cat Rescue’s 4th annual Rally for Rescues event. Paws and Claws was founded by Ashlynn Boyce and her family in May of 2020 and aims to, as stated on their website, “help cats mentally and physically heal, and give them a chance to find love, a full life and a forever home.”

Sean Johnson, the shelter operations director at Paws and Claws, elaborated, “Our goal is to rescue cats who are at risk of euthanasia and most of the time it’s from shelters around the area or in other states where they don’t have space or time to take care of them. And then get them healthy, medical attention, whatever they need, and find good homes for them.” 

With the summer months creating overflowing animal shelters, and therefore increasing euthanasia rates, summer can be a challenging time for animal shelters. Not only does this event raise funds for the cats, but it also celebrates the end of the tough summer months and, with it, all the cats that were saved. So far this year, they have saved over 500 cats, and aim to save 500 more before the year comes to an end. 

While an entrance fee of $25 may seem like a lot, funding is essential to the success of the organization. Boyce details the impact of buying a ticket. She says, “It goes directly towards the cats and also to our programs that impact people as well. It allows us to continue our foster program where we provide full supplies and support, and foster families–community members– get to have an animal in their home temporarily. So that’s one of the big ways it goes towards those medical costs.” 

This event is of course important for fundraising, but it’s also important for other reasons. It draws the community together, and open play time with the kittens encourages people to adopt. One family shared their interest in adopting two cats while a current ETHS junior, Emilie Viola, said, “I can’t get a cat, ‘cause my dog, so I just came here to see the cats and make donations.”

Rally for Rescues has become quite the success over the last four years. One of the most noticeable differences over the years has been the amount of people and the number of volunteers. Johnson shares the important role volunteers play, saying, “More and more volunteers who are more than happy to come and help and lend a hand. It makes us able to do more things and have more events, bring more cats to make sure they’re taken care of.” Among those volunteers was part of the Northwestern Women’s Basketball team which partners with Paws and Claws. 

Whether it’s bringing people together, keeping cats from high risk euthanasia shelters or helping families foster a furry friend, Paws and Claws Cat Rescue has made an undeniable impact on our community.