Crystal Creek Rescue – a Bentonville based non-profit, saving cats through spaying, TNR, adoption, education, and assisting the Northwest Arkansas community with cats.
About us
Who We Are
We partner with the community to address their needs regarding feral cat colony management, TNR, owner surrenders, and rescues. As we do not have a facility, we always strive to get the community involved, which can broaden our volunteer base, bring awareness to the public health issue of out-of-control cat populations, and foster a sense of service in those who help us.
Why We Exist
Arkansas is one the five leading states in the nation with the worst records for animals. It’s known for its puppy mills, dogfighting, cockfighting, dog and cat neglect, little or no access to low-cost or free spaying, and little or no enforcement of its own anti-cruelty laws.
The stranglehold of the farming bureau over the state legislature, cultural issues regarding animals as property, coupled with poor education and low incomes make it an unsafe place to be a companion animal, including horses. The continued breeding of cats and dogs for sale in some pet stores has created a cycle of devastating abuse. Government and law enforcement at every level have failed the citizens and animals of Arkansas.
In the summer of 2016, our founder Olivia Nagel discovered homeless cats and kittens all over Bentonville, which currently still does not have a shelter. Most other shelters in the Northwest Arkansas community have dogs as their primary focus if accept cats at all. Crystal Creek Rescue does not have a building, and we do what we can with a network of foster homes and our dedicated volunteers and donors.
Not caring for the cats in our community leads to problems for both the animals and humans including overpopulation, disease, and general nuisance. That’s why Olivia started helping with “trap-neuter-return” (TNR) in Bentonville and eventually created Crystal Creek Rescue with just a handful of volunteers.
We now have more than 15 volunteers who focus on our ever-growing mission of creating a safe environment in Northwest Arkansas for all cats and kittens. This is to their benefit and to the humans in our community as well!
MISSION
Crystal Creek Rescue – a Bentonville based non-profit, saving cats through spaying, TNR, adoption, education, and assisting the Northwest Arkansas community with cats.
VISION
Unleashed potential of people to make positive change happen.
What We Do
At Crystal Creek Rescue we:
- Rescue cats from the street, accept surrenders, and also temporarily foster pets of people who are victims of domestic violence. They can’t take their pets with them into the shelter.
- Help low-income and fixed-income people with vet costs, transportation to the vet, cat food, and litter. We trap, neuter and return, (TNR) feral cats (not handled by humans), so they no longer breed and fight, have a stable life with food, fresh water, and coyote-safe shelters.
- Provide a bridge for homeless cats (regardless of their age or condition) through our network of foster homes, where they are stabilized with proper food, flea, and worm treatment. We then spay, microchip, test for FeLv/FIV, and throughout this process we give lots of love and socializing to prepare them for a forever adoptive home. We bottle feed newborns when necessary, or find them a nursing mother. If a cat is injured, we cover the cost of surgeries or medicines. Once healed, they are ready for their forever homes.
- Work closely with our veterinarian, Dr. Leeth Harper, DVM in Bella Vista, Arkansas, the owner of Village Pet Hospital. He and his staff have guided us to craft high-level, low-cost, effective protocols for healthy cats. We work with Spay Arkansas and some other clinics in the area.
- Provide a resource to the NWA community and sometimes people across the state help with cats they’ve found injured or in need. By phone, email, texting, and Facebook, we connect the public to rescues in their area or help them to care for the cat or kittens themselves with our guides.