Pet Project Rescue - Minneapolis, MN

27/05/2026

News cycles are heavy. Being alive right now is heavy. We want to share some happy numbers, not to distract from the state of the world, but to provide a glimmer of hope.

In the first four months of 2026, we spay/neutered 812 cats and dogs. That’s 812 lives directly changed. That’s countless litters and insurmountable suffering prevented.

We are only able to do this because we have amazing partners, volunteers, donors, and supporters. So, to all of you, thank you. We love this work, and we are so happy to do it alongside you.

27/05/2026

Spay/neuter saves lives 🩵

22/05/2026

In rural Minnesota, two neighbors have spent years caring for colonies alone. Sandy and Allan knew each other, and they shared the same struggle: too many cats, and not enough help.

Sandy cares for a colony of 30+ cats. She feeds them once a day, twice during Minnesota winters. Despite an injury sustained on the farm, she has not stopped showing up. She knows each cat and their quirks. One has hair missing on their tail. Another has neurological issues. She watches over them all.

Sandy begged other organizations for help, but no one came. “I’m embarrassed [the cats] have gotten out of control,” she wrote. “I am happy to finally get help.”

Six miles away, Allan, 86, has cared for a colony of 20+ cats since 2019. He feeds them three times a day, every day, without fail. He lives on a fixed income, but the cats eat before he does. One friendly stray even lives indoors with him.

When Sandy finally found help through Brenda, she didn’t keep it to herself. She told Brenda about Allan, and Brenda drove over that very day.

Now, Brenda traps for both colonies.

“Caregivers like Sandy and Allan do the hardest part,” Brenda said. “They show up day after day.”

Sandy and Allan were never failing. They are doing what so few people do: showing up with no expectation of anything in return.

Brenda is the reason they are no longer alone. “TNR is powerful because it brings people together around a shared goal.”

Across Minnesota, trappers like Brenda make sure no caregiver does this alone.

We are so honored to support this work.

21/05/2026

Every spay/neuter makes a difference, preventing future suffering for this cat and so many others!

Another kitty spayed!

Thanks to Pet Project Rescue - Minneapolis, we were able to spay this pretty female!

Pet Project Rescue, based in Minnesota, is dedicated to ending companion animal overpopulation and homelessness — from Minnesota to Mexico — by funding free spay/neuter clinics for owned and homeless animals.
Their mission aligns perfectly with ours at Rocco’s Relief Foundation, and together, we’re making change one cat (and dog!) at a time. 🐾✨

04/05/2026

April was a busy month full of quiet, steady work. The kind of work that doesn’t make headlines, but changes everything for the animals and communities we serve.

Together, we spay/neutered 244 cats and dogs.

In Mexico:
- Playa del Carmen: 90 surgeries
- Atlatlahucan, Morelos: 76 surgeries
- Mexico City: 2 surgeries

In Minnesota:
- 76 cats TNR’d
- 12 social cats/kittens transferred to partner rescues

These 244 surgeries are not just numbers. They are individuals who will never experience the struggle of raising litters on the streets. They are families who will no longer have to watch animals suffer from preventable illness. They are communities where the cycle of overpopulation slows, just a little, because someone decided to help.

These April surgeries bring our year-to-date total to 812 sterilizations. And 812 surgeries mean more than 6,000 kittens and puppies prevented from being born into hardship.

When we say that spay/neuters prevent suffering, we really mean it. Thank you for making this work possible.

29/04/2026

Beyond the busy market block in Mexico City, we have another TNR project.

It is called “the Castle,” a large, vacant building where cats have taken shelter for years. Years ago, trappers managed to fix every cat inside except one. A single, super-breeding mama kept producing litter after litter, generation after generation.

Then the building was sold and the gates were locked. The cats remained inside, but they became unreachable.

For years, the cycle continued. Kittens born into rubble. Illness spreading. Suffering repeating.

But now, after years of waiting, the new owners have given permission to enter. Rachelle, Anna, and the team at Little Zesty Fosters finally have access. They will trap every cat, ending the cycle of reproduction and suffering.

This is what partnership looks like. Local rescuers who never give up. A community that cares. And Pet Project Rescue providing the necessary funding to make the spay/neuter surgeries possible.

In Mexico, veterinary resources are scarce. Preventable illnesses spread quickly through unvaccinated cat populations. Families who want to help their animals often cannot afford care. Independent rescuers work tirelessly, but they face the same financial struggles as everyone else.

This is why we do this work. Not to swoop in with answers from afar, but to support the people who are already on the ground — people like Rachelle and her team at Little Zesty Fosters. We fund local veterinarians, local trappers, local solutions. We prevent suffering before it begins.

Every surgery we fund means fewer kittens born into struggle, fewer animals suffering from preventable illness, and fewer families watching helplessly as the cycle continues.

This is prevention. This is community care. This is what your support makes possible.

Donate to Paws Across Borders. Link in bio.

28/04/2026

This dog lives at a construction site in Playa del Carmen. She is skittish, scared, and trusts only one person. On March 23, they found her injured. She had a broken tail, and the bone was exposed.

The one person she trusts brought her to Coco's. She held her close so she could be sedated.

Vet tech Chieko prepped her for surgery, and Dr. Dheli performed the amputation. She was spayed at the same time: one anesthesia, two lifesaving procedures.

She woke up without pain. She woke up without the tail that had been causing her so much suffering, and without the ability to reproduce. Both current and future suffering was addressed.

This is what care looks like for a dog who trusts almost no one. One person who refused to look away. A clinic that said yes. A community that made it possible.

Every animal deserves someone to fight for them 💙

27/04/2026

Every spay/neuter makes a difference. Every dollar donated makes a difference. We’ve only raised 14% of our goal. Can you help us reach our goal by donating to Paws Across Borders today?

26/04/2026

Joey was one of many animals trying to survive on the streets. Thankfully, he was rescued and nursed back to health by .

Not all animals are so lucky. Spay/neuter helps prevent this cycle. Spay/neuter prevents future homeless animals and addresses the needs of existing animals.

Spay/neuter saves lives 🩵

25/04/2026

Meet Cozy.

Cozy was rescued in Atlatlahucan by Rebecca, founder of Rocco’s Relief Foundation.

One day while driving through her neighborhood, Rebecca saw something shocking… a tiny dog who looked like she was barely alive. Cozy was emaciated and clearly suffering, dangerously close to dying from severe malnutrition. Rebecca discovered that she had an owner who had moved away, and someone had been paid to feed the dogs left behind. It was clear that Cozy had not been receiving any care.

After a tough conversation, Rebecca was able to take Cozy into her care and rushed her straight to the vet. Her condition was critical. Cozy needed a blood transfusion, and bloodwork revealed anemia, dangerously low platelets, and ehrlichia, a tick-borne disease. She began an intensive recovery, including a 30-day course of doxycycline, along with supportive care and lots of love.

Slowly but surely, Cozy regained her strength and made a full recovery.

Today, Cozy lives in Vermont with her mom, dad, and dog sister Rosie. Cozy loves boating, camping, and lounging on her many comfy couches and beds. Cozy went from being on the brink of death to having the sweetest life imaginable. Cozy’s story is exactly why we do this work.

When we say that spay/neuter saves lives, this is what we are talking about. When we fund lifesaving spay/neuters and prevent homeless litters, we allow rescuers to focus their efforts on the existing cases.

When you donate to Paws Across Borders, you help make these stories possible 🩵