Big Sky Ranch/CATNIP Foundation

Big Sky Ranch/CATNIP Foundation Big Sky Ranch/CATNIP Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit animal welfare organization.

Our mission is "changing the way we think and feel about living with and caring for animals". Our vision is to create a no-kill, no-shelter community, by increasing community consciousness for the well-being of people, animals, and the planet.

Another successful Colorado transport, another exhausted crew (and mascot), another load of kitties off to wonderful new...
11/02/2025

Another successful Colorado transport, another exhausted crew (and mascot), another load of kitties off to wonderful new homes… So excited to hear some are already in their new homes!! Thanks to all who have supported this trip! If you have a few bucks to chip in, we still have gas and travel expenses home, and we still have not covered initial expenses for the kitties!! Thanks so much! We, and the kitties, are most grateful!!!😻💕🙏🏼

We are at it again! COLORADO BOUND!! Our transport team is driving up a van of kitties up to their new homes as we speak...
10/28/2025

We are at it again! COLORADO BOUND!! Our transport team is driving up a van of kitties up to their new homes as we speak!
Transport is an absolutely vital program that allows us to continue to help more and more animals. We transport far more animals every year than we adopt out locally. The South is just overwhelmingly overpopulated with far too many animals and far too few adopters. Transporting up to western and northern states that do not suffer from the same overpopulation is invaluable in our efforts to save lives.
With that being said, transport is one of our most difficult programs to raise donations for. For this transport, can you give up a cup of coffee to help get us to Colorado? If everyone chips in $5, we could most certainly accomplish wonderful things!!
So what do you say? Coffee for kitties? You in? Donate $5 and share with a friend!

10/24/2025

In search of talented graphic artist to help with exciting fundraiser! Text “artist” to 504.415.0137 for details

Oh my goodness, you won’t believe what we pulled out of this baby’s neck!! WARNING, GRAPHIC images!This teeny tiny baby,...
10/19/2025

Oh my goodness, you won’t believe what we pulled out of this baby’s neck!! WARNING, GRAPHIC images!
This teeny tiny baby, weighing only 0.7 pounds, had not one, but TWO, botflies (aka cuterebras) eating their way through her neck and head. These suckers were huge!!! There is no doubt this baby would have perished soon if these parasites were not removed.
We named this sweet baby girl Chepi, and she is currently being hospitalized and monitored closely. We are continuing wound care of those gaping holes from the botflies. Can you help chip in towards this precious little girl’s medical expenses? 🙏

Venmo

We are in DESPERATE NEED of pate wet food!! Many of our senior kitties at our sanctuary rely on wet food daily as they s...
10/15/2025

We are in DESPERATE NEED of pate wet food!! Many of our senior kitties at our sanctuary rely on wet food daily as they struggle to eat hard kibble. We care for 120+ sanctuary kitties, plus those at our adoption center, and we are extremely low on all types of wet food. Can you help feed these babies??
One of their absolute favorite foods is the Fancy Feast Savory Centers! We have a handful of kitties that will only eat this particular food. We would be beyond grateful for donations of this food! Picture included below.

Chewy Wishlist:
https://www.chewy.com/g/big-sky-cares_b95252576

Amazon wishlist: https://a.co/cJvctki

Please read… While we are generally very successful with our barn, cat placements, we spend a lot of extra time and reso...
10/14/2025

Please read… While we are generally very successful with our barn, cat placements, we spend a lot of extra time and resources, placing these cats and often have to hold them longer than we would like to in order to do that. It is definitely not always the right answer. Cats that should be TNR often stress when in captivity and end up sick or with other issues…
Just remember…there’s no place like home!

🐾 Barn Homes Aren’t Always Happy Endings for Cats 🐾

Lately, it feels like putting cats in barn homes has become the new “solution” when people decide it’s better than TNR. It can sound like a kind, responsible choice- but for the cat, it often isn’t.

In my 20+ years of doing rescue and TNR, I can count on one hand the situations where a cat truly could not, under any safe or ethical circumstance, return to its original home.

🔹 Is the cat’s original site always ideal? No.
But it’s their home. It’s where they know the hiding spots, the predators to avoid, the food and water sources, and the other cats in the area. Cats are territorial- familiarity is what keeps them safe.

📊 What we know about relocation:
• A large percentage of relocated cats don’t stay at their new site, even with proper acclimation.
• Many disappear within weeks despite being given food, shelter, and careful introductions.
• Even highly experienced rescuers who do everything “right” see heartbreaking results.

One of my mentors used to run barn relocation classes and oversaw many placements. She set them up with large safe spaces, proper slow-release periods, and great follow-up. And still, the number of cats who didn’t stick around was devastating. She eventually stopped, because even with the best methods, too many cats were lost.

✨ A Real-Life Example ✨
The cats in this photo were originally being considered for a “better” barn placement. But after talking with their feeder and explaining why TNR would be best for them, the plan changed. They were all trapped, neutered, and returned to the only home they’d ever known.

They know the area, they know how to stay safe, and best of all- they get to stay together, because they love one another. 💕

💡 Of course, there are times when relocation is the only safe and humane option- whether due to demolition, extreme danger, or truly unlivable conditions. And when that’s the case, it’s understandable. But too often, people are quick to make that decision for the cat.

👉 Relocation should be the last resort, not the default.
👉 A barn placement may look like a happy ending to us, but to the cat, it can mean losing everything familiar.
👉 More often than not, the best outcome is letting them stay where they already know how to survive.

So the next time you see a post about a cat “needing a barn home,” please remember: it may not be the happy ending it sounds like. For most cats, the real happy ending is going back home. 🐾

We would like to send a heartfelt warm thank you to our amazing kitten foster (and adopter), Jennifer King! She never he...
10/13/2025

We would like to send a heartfelt warm thank you to our amazing kitten foster (and adopter), Jennifer King! She never hesitates, the answer is always yes. We couldn't do it without you! We love that you love them and that they learn to love from you.

Don’t miss out! Last weekend of reduced adoption fees! SO many asking kittens and cats are waiting on YOU! to for the FO...
10/11/2025

Don’t miss out! Last weekend of reduced adoption fees! SO many asking kittens and cats are waiting on YOU! to for the FOREVER home and live they deserve!! Make TODAY the day you take home unconditional love! See you at our Calico Cat Cafe today between 11am and 5pm! And we are open Sunday from Noon until 3pm!

Address

82060 Highway 25
Folsom, LA
70437

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 3pm

Telephone

+19857964494

Website

https://www.bigskycares.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Big Sky Ranch/CATNIP Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Big Sky Ranch/CATNIP Foundation:

Shortcuts

Share

Our Story

CATNIP (Care Advocacy and Treatment of Neglected and Indigent Pets) Foundation at Big Sky Ranch Big Sky Ranch/CATNIP Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit animal welfare organization based in Folsom, Louisiana. We provide valuable programs as alternatives to euthanasia to lower the number of animals entering shelters and the ones being killed there. Our mission is "changing the ways we think and feel about living with and caring for animals". Our vision is to create a no-kill, no-shelter community, by increasing community consciousness for the well-being of people, animals, and the planet. We work without agenda, seeking to improve the lives of animals and people through education, cooperation and collaboration. In any given month, we have well over 300 animals in our care. Most are cats and most of those have come from situations where they have been abused, neglected or just kept in poor conditions. We serve multiple parishes, most of which or rural and underserved, and many with no municipal shelter. Even the parishes where there are municipal shelters, they stay beyond capacity and live outcome rates are very low. The devastating Louisiana flood of 2016 catapulted our mission forward as we rushed in to help as first responders, rescuing, saving, and ultimately rehoming hundreds of animals, and for more than a year afterward, continued to provide much needed services, such as spay/neuter, vaccinations and flea meds to these poverty stricken and now devastated communities. A short year later, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, stretched our mission and capacity again, as once again we responded to the disaster, and ultimately rescued and re-homed hundreds more animals, again, mostly cats. Again, this year, we were called into action to assist with the devastation of Hurricane Michael and the animals that were left behind, displaced, and injured. We are still working tirelessly in this region, all while continuing TNR, Spay/Neuter and adoption efforts in this region.!These are challenges that put extraordinary stress on our resources, but ones that provided invaluable opportunity to learn how to maximize every resource we have. Year over year, we double our impact. We create and embrace new and innovative programs as alternatives to shelter intake and have proudly increased live outcomes in this region with both aggressive spay/neuter and shelter diversion.