I wanted to start this blog with the image of a heart because LOVE for all creatures is what drives us here at Cross'd Paws Farm Sanctuary. We began on the path to this farm back in 1990, when I began working on the UMASS dairy farm. In addition to cows, there were cats there that people had carelessly dropped off over the years and these feral cats were not being cared for adequately. With the help of my friend, who was a veterinarian, I learned about Trap-Neuter-Return and set about stabilizing the colony. We ended up with 24 cats, all fixed, and I and my husband Ed set up a feeding regime which kept the cats fed and over the 6 years that the colony lasted we monitored them and kept them healthy. When the dairy closed at the end of that time, we trapped the last cat--who oddly was the first cat we'd gotten to know, a gorgeous tabby named Roofer--and brought her with us to our new farm in NJ.  

Working at the dairy began this adventure that became Cross'd Paws Farm and next time I will go into how my life was deeply changed and enhanced by the wonderful beings, the cows!