What we do

Stage One − get as many stray cats off of the streets of St. Louis as we can, give them proper medical treatment, and keep them in caring foster homes until permanent adoptive homes can be found for them. Our primary focus will be on cats with significant medical conditions. Often, it is financial restraints that prevent these special animals from being rescued by other shelters and instead, they are euthanized. Our goal is to eliminate automatic euthanasia for these felines and to rehabilitate them to prepare them for life in a forever home.

Stage Two − As we work with cats and volunteers in Stage One, we will simultaneously raise money to purchase a building that will become the shelter for all cats, including out special-needs kitties. We would like to able to buy a building outright, in a great location. Perhaps this building will need a lot of work and renovation, but we hope to get services donated or discounted and have the funds in place to meet monthly expenses easily.

Ongoing − One of the most important tenets of animal welfare work is public education. There are an incredible number of misconceptions surrounding felines and our job is to combat those with facts and information.

Why we do it

      Cats are an incredibly misunderstood population and they need our help, Cities around the United States are becoming "no-kill" cities through aggressive spay/neuter programs. We have a long way to go, but, in the words of Chinese Philosopher Lao-tzu, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." We are taking that step.

      Currently the city of St. Louis lacks a resource of Tenth Life´s nature. Cat rescues either exist as foster home networks (where adoptable felines are living in homes of generous foster parents, who keep the cats until their adoptive families become available) or as cage-heavy shelters. Cages are certainly no way for a kitty to live any extended period of time, let alone the last few days of life before untimely euthanasia. Tenth Life will not only provide a loving, cage-free, home-like environment, but the organization is also offering life to cats who are normally euthanized upon admission, thus giving the cats a tenth life.