Ella's Feline Rescue Mission

08/02/2025

We are very sorry for the short notice but, due to illness, we unfortunately have to cancel today's adoption event. Please call 413-351-6450 or email [email protected] to make arrangements to meet cats at a different time.

07/02/2025

Don't forget our adoption event this Saturday, 2/8, from 9-1 at 549 Main St. in Springfield. We have many adorable and loving cats and kittens of all ages, colors, and personalities. Find your Valentine or a buddy to watch the Superbowl with!

04/02/2025

We are in desperate need of foster homes. As a foster-based rescue, the number of cats we can help is limited by the number of foster homes we have. Homes for healthy adult cats and senior cats are our biggest need right now, but we are still getting in kittens and pregnant cats and need homes for them as well. Even if you can only take in a cat for a week or two, that can be really helpful. Fostering can be a great way to get kids involved and many of our foster families have said it is something the whole family enjoys doing together. We provide all supplies for fostering and training and support as needed. Please call 413-351-6450 or email [email protected] for more info.

03/02/2025

We were settling into bed last night when a text came in around 10:15 from a woman whose daughter found 4 kittens out in the snow. Her daughter found them as they were starting to go out into the road and was able to grab them and put them in a box. They couldn't keep them, however, and had no way to get them to us, so I went out in the snow in my pajamas and was able to get them safely to our home. They were wet and cold and are only about 4 weeks old. We weren't sure if they could eat solid food so we mixed up a batch of KMR formula in a shallow bowl and they slurped it right down and then moved on to wet cat food mixed with formula. Three of them look good this morning, but one was very bedraggled so he is off to the vet this afternoon. The whole situation is puzzling: the kittens are friendly so do not appear feral, suggesting that they were dumped. However, they appear to be pure-bred Siamese kittens, which people will usually try to sell. Regardless of how they got there, white kittens trying to cross a street in heavily falling snow would not have survived the night. We are happy that they are safe and sound with us but infuriated by the cruelty of people who would either abandon tiny kittens in the cold or allow a female cat to give birth outdoors in winter. We will need a foster home for these babies once they are stabilized. Please call 413-351-6450 or email [email protected] if interested in fostering. They will not be available for adoption for 5-6 weeks.

02/02/2025

In recognition of the two most well-known events of February, we are running a "Find the Love of Your Life (or Superbowl Bowl Buddy!)" adoption campaign for the month of February. We are having an adoption event on Saturday, 2/8 from 9-1 at our Rescue Headquarters: 549 Main St. in Springfield. We hold adoptions by appointment during the week as well, including evenings and weekends. We have cats and kittens of all ages who are hoping for love this Valentine's Day. We also have a number of cats in our Lonely Hearts Club, who have been waiting a long time for a home and have reduced adoption fees. Call/text 413-351-6450 or email [email protected] for more info.

02/02/2025

We've partnered with a new fundraising platform that offers fundraising specific to animal-related causes. We've started a new Valentine's-themed campaign. Check out our Giving Grid below. If you'd like to donate, simply click the link, choose a heart, and enter the amount you'd like to donate. Many people are hesitant to donate if they can't give large amounts, but even $5 makes a significant difference.
https://www.givinggrid.com/EFRM

Send a message to learn more

30/01/2025

This Saturday 2/01/2025 we will be holding an adoption day from 9 to 1 at 549 main st Springfield . Stop by to see all are cats and kittens ready for there forever home. If your not ready to adopt , stop by anyways and spend time with some of our cats or just come in to say Hi

30/01/2025

Brutus is the type of cat that my heart goes out to, the type that I had in mind when my husband and I first talked about starting a rescue. He started coming around our house when the weather got cold for the food we put out for ferals. He is not feral but had many indicators that he had been living outdoors for some time: he was very wary and skittish, quick to bolt at any sudden movement or loud noise; his fur was dirty and matted; and he had a cut under his eye. He did let us pet him and after a short time, let me pick him up and bring him inside when we had a recent bitter cold snap. He is very sweet and very fluffy and gorgeous. He is a mellow, calm cat who is content to lay on a cozy blanket, a cat tree, or my office chair. He is affectionate and loves pets. He lets me nuzzle my face against his and kiss him on his face. He is looking for someone kind to give him a home where he'll never have to live outside or be scared again. He does occasionally give me a gentle swat when he doesn't like me touching him in a certain way so we are looking for a home without young kids. He needs someone who will be patient and understand that his life has been hard and he will need time to feel fully safe in a new home. The vet estimated him to be around 4 years old.

29/01/2025

This adorable ball of fluff will be ready for adoption in a few weeks. He was removed from his mother too young and is having trouble adjusting to solid food. A really good reason to adopt from a shelter or rescue- aside from very thorough vet care at an amazing price- is that shelter/rescue staff have a lot of knowledge about what animals need that people giving away pet cats and kittens usually do not have. We have been alarmed by how often kittens as young as 4 weeks are given away. Kittens need to stay with their mothers until at least 8 weeks of age- preferably closer to 10, unless emergency circumstances dictate otherwise. Kittens also need socialization with other cats for healthy development. Kittens who are separated from their mothers too young, weaned too young, or do not have any other cat companions can have health and behavioral problems as kittens and as adults. When you adopt from a rescue or shelter, you can be assured that the cat or kitten you adopt has gotten the best care possible to meet its long-term needs and is a good fit for your home and lifestyle.

27/01/2025

We named this lovely lady Nova, which means "new," because she was brought to us on New Year's Day by a caring mother and son who found her living outside. Nova is very lucky to have found this kind pair, who cared enough to call around to find a rescue or shelter that was open on New Year's Day and to then bring her to us, because it turned out that she is pregnant. She is probably going to deliver in the next few weeks, which means that, if she was not rescued, she would have given birth outdoors in frigid temperatures. None of the babies would have survived. While we are very happy that Nova and her babies will receive great care in an experienced foster home, our hearts break for the thousands of cats who are abandoned in winter every year and freeze to death after giving birth, while their kittens die from exposure. Please spay and neuter your pets and please rehome them or surrender them to a shelter or rescue if you are not able to care for them.

21/01/2025

We have been taking in a lot of strays during these cold winter days. Since we know nothing about stray cats' health histories, it can be challenging to figure out and meet their needs. They almost always have GI issues when they first come in, which can result from a whole host of causes. Skin issues are very common too. We've therefore decided to try to ease some of the digestive distress and/or skin discomfort by starting all stray cats on a sensitive skin and stomach diet and eliminating chicken, which is the most common food allergy in cats (I was surprised to learn this, as chicken is also the most common ingredient in cat food). This can also help many of our cats who are surrendered due to vomiting or diarrhea. We've added these products to our Chewy wishlist and created an Amazon wishlist specific to dietary needs. These products are a bit more expensive than the food we typically use so any donations go a long way in helping us do right by all of the cats we care for. Please check out either of the links below to have a donation shipped directly to us.
Amazon: https://a.co/fM1KXSj
Chewy: https://www.chewy.com/g/ellas-feline-rescue-mission_b113113341

We are a no-kill cat rescue committed to rescuing and rehabilitating homeless cats and finding loving and committed forever homes. We have a particular commitment

16/01/2025

Ellas will be holding an open adoption event this sat 1/18/2025 from 9 to 1
Please come out to see the adorable kittens and cats , we have available ,that are ready for there forever homes. Or stop by to say Hi , and pet a few cats !!

11/01/2025

This handsome guy, whom we've named Brutus, was living outside and coming to our house sporadically for the food we put out for ferals. He has been friendly but skittish and was already ear-tipped when he first started coming by. We finally got him inside and he is decompressing. He has obviously been on his own for awhile and needs his eye looked at but he is still sweet. He is off to the vet for a full exam and updated vaccines and then will likely need a little bit of time to feel safe in a home. Given that he is friendly and calm, we are confident that he will be a great pet with a bit of patience and good care. For Brutus and the many cats like him, we have created an Amazon wishlist of products that we have found to help cats feel more safe and secure in a new environment. If you would like to donate a product, toy, or treat to help scared cats feel a bit more safe, please check out the link below.
https://a.co/9600MMk

02/01/2025

A few weeks ago, we reached out to the community asking for donations of styrofoam, plastic totes, large styrofoam containers, and straw for making winter shelters for feral cats. We were amazed at the response and have collected materials to make many shelters. Thanks to all who reached out! If there are feral cats in your neighborhood, we can give you a shelter so that they can survive the cold. Feral cats are cats that live outdoors and are not socialized to humans. If a cat won't let you come near it, it is feral and is not a candidate for adoption. However, we can make them more comfortable with shelter and regular food. Feral cats should also be vaccinated and fixed, though trapping in winter requires special considerations, so reach out to a shelter or rescue for advice or help if there are feral cats near you. Stray cats- those who live outside but are friendly enough to let people touch them- should be brought indoors and can be taken to a shelter or rescue for vet care and eventual adoption. If there are stray cats near you, please do whatever you can to get them out of the cold. It is a myth that cats that are clean and look well fed definitely have homes- cats are very resourceful creatures who are great at finding food and instinctively keep themselves very clean. They can still die in very cold temps, however, so please reach out to your local animal control or a shelter or rescue if there are stray cats near you. It is supposed to be very cold this weekend and all of next week, with overnight temps dropping into the single digits by the end of the week. Cats and dogs can die in cold like that, so please don't leave them out. Contact us at 413-351-6450 or [email protected] if there are feral or stray cats near you, as we are trying to prioritize cats who may not survive the cold.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year! We are very happy to report that we were able to find Forever Homes for over 200 cats in 2024! They are all so deserving and we are so happy for all of them, as well as the families that have been blessed with them. We still have a few lonely hearts that have been waiting a long time for homes. Some are shy, some need to be the only pet in the home; others are bonded and need to be adopted together. All are wonderful, affectionate, sweet cats who deserve someone to love them forever. Please consider giving one or two of these poor souls a home. Winter is such a nice, cozy time to own a cat- winter days can be bleak and depressing, but a winter day snuggled on the couch with a good book and a purring cat is just bliss.

29/12/2024

We are delighted to report that we've had some great adoptions over the past few weeks and all of the cats pictured below were able to celebrate Christmas or will start the New Year in a Forever Home. Some have been waiting months for a home and we are so very happy for all of them.

26/12/2024

We got our dog, Max, a new bed for Christmas. He got to enjoy it for about 5 minutes.