Paws on Your Heart Pet Rescue Support

10/21/2026

Connecting farming to pet rescues

Our grantee All God's Creatures (AGC) has a novel way of making the most out of its rescue’s position in its farming community. It invites agricultural supporters of its dogs and cats shelter to consider donating a gift of grain instead of a gift of cash!

See the post and poster below.

Contacting a tax professional is, of course, recommended. But including this idea among the smorgasbord of rescue donation possibilities is surely worth considering!

Hats off to you, AGC, for putting this idea out there to your Henry County community.

Did you know that you can donate grain directly to All God's Creatures instead of cash?

Here's how simple it is:
🌾 Notify us — just a quick heads-up so we can get the paperwork ready.
🌾 Deliver to your elevator — the same one you already use.
🌾 Transfer ownership — before it's sold, have the elevator put it in All God's Creatures' name.

That's it. Once ownership transfers, we take it from there—directing the sale and putting the proceeds straight to work for the animals in Henry County who are counting on us: shelter, medical care, and finding them forever homes. Highlighting this impact can inspire community pride and a sense of fulfillment in supporting local animals.

As always, consult your tax professional or accountant about how a grain gift fits your specific situation. We appreciate your ongoing support and encourage you to share this opportunity with fellow farmers!!

10/18/2026

Gratitude for help from Paws

After seeing a stack-up of ongoing medical expenses for one of our past grantees, we reached out with a Special Grant to help.

The nonprofit recipient was A Purposeful Life Animal Rescue & Sanctuary (APL). Three dogs were also recipients. They are: Baby (age 13) who is suffering from recurring UTIs and also had mammary tumors, Bart (age 5.5) who has PTSD and a**l gland issues, and Cash (age 11) whose thyroid levels are proving difficult to control.

We appreciate APL’s post voicing their thanks for our help with the medical expenses of these dogs.

But more than that, we were touched by their gratitude for the non-financial help we provide to the rescues we work with. We make suggestions, offer tips, answer questions, and more. It is hard for us to measure the impact of this type of help, but APL shared their view of it.

This is why we do what we do. Thank you, APL, for your kind words.

We recently shared a plea for help, explaining that funds were running low and some of our dogs were facing accumulating medical expenses that required a little extra support.

Paws on Your Heart Pet Rescue Support saw our post and stepped in with a generous $750 donation, specifically to help cover the needs of Baby, Bart and Cash. 🤍

Paws on Your Heart is dedicated to supporting smaller and newly established organizations, as well as those doing rescue work in non-traditional ways. For us, that means caring for our aging community of dogs. The old souls who often need a little more time, a little more medical care and a little extra love. 😊

But their support goes far beyond financial assistance. From quick phone calls to talk through grant opportunities and ways to help our organization stand out, to simple words of encouragement when we need them most, they’ve reminded us that we aren’t doing this alone.

Sometimes, it’s not just the financial help that makes a difference. It’s knowing there are people who see what you’re doing, believe in your mission and remind you that the work you’re doing matters.

Paws on Your Heart, thank you for seeing our dogs, believing in our mission and helping us continue to show up for the ones who need us most. We are so grateful for you. 🤍

10/15/2026

Making a simple, but loved cat toy

When The Cat Hut was putting together components for a summer fundraising event, their Meow Market, key parts were interesting vendors (handmade goods, food) . . . and, of course, meet-and-greets with adoptable cats (see comments for an event poster).

A “service craft” was also included: a couple of supplies, along with helpers showing how to make catnip knots for the shelter’s cats and kittens. Check out the how-to video below!

What an easy and enjoyable activity! Craftmakers got to have fun making these toys, which were given to the rescue, where they will be gifted to cat adopters. The Cat Hut’s rationale—that these catnip knots help cats adjust to their new family with a scent that is familiar—makes perfect sense!

Another great cat project and idea from The Cat Hut!

10/12/2026

What does “good with other pets” mean?

When adopters want to add a cat or dog to their family and when they have current pets, how they all will get along is an important decision factor.

For an adoptable dog, for example, when a rescue bio says “good with other dogs,” does that mean it tolerates them, or that it seeks their company, and maybe even initiates play with them? BIG differences! Same for cats.

When Zeus (a cat) was put up for adoption, our grantee Lucky Penny Kitties decided to show how he was really “good with dogs” by posting a video of Zeus and other foster cats PLAYING with their foster dog brother! Leaves no doubt that these cats really LOVE this dog and enjoy its company!

Yes, in Zeus’ case (and for any new adopter family), the temperament of the other dog is a factor too. But the video does show the cats’ side of the story!

10/02/2026

Sneak peek at a Big Project

Tailspin Cat Sanctuary (TCS) has announced its start to a big renovation project: turning an empty space next to their main sanctuary room into space that will be heated, plumbed, and . . . very USABLE!

Paws learned of TCS’s desire to undertake this project when we toured their sanctuary during our camping visits to area rescues this Spring. That visit prompted us to give the rescue a grant of $500 to help get this project off the ground. And later in the summer, we supplemented that grant with $1,000 in Menards gift cards. The latter will pay for metal paneling that “the girls” will put up to finish off the room.

TCS has now put up a post telling its fans that the Big Project is underway! Here’s what they wrote:

“We’ve officially started, and we are full speed ahead. Today is your first sneak peek at the space we’re getting ready to transform. Right now, it sits on the other side of one of our sanctuary walls and isn’t much to look at yet (we know). But just imagine it—an indoor restroom, a dedicated kitten room, a medical space where veterinarians can come directly to us. The potential here is endless.

“This is something we’ve dreamed about for a long time. . . . There’s a lot of work ahead, but we’ve done it before, and we’re ready to do it again.”

Go for it, TCS! We can’t wait to hear progress reports. This new room will make such a GREAT addition to the sanctuary’s space and the cats it cares for.

09/29/2026

Recycling can be a GREAT fundraiser

When we meet with new grantees, one fundraiser idea we love to promote is redeemables recycling.

Better Together Animal Rescue, Inc. (BT), a cat rescue in Vinton, has been doing this for years. Residents are invited to drop off redeemables at their small shelter in downtown Vinton. Cans and plastic bottles in bags, and glass bottles in boxes, can be left at their shelter front door or behind their building. BT workers then carry these bags or boxes to the rescue’s equally small downstairs basement, for temporary storage.

When the basement gets full, a weekend is set aside, and Team BT is assembled to bring the items up to the parking lot; sort, count, and rebag the cans and plastic bottles; and load all into a covered truck, which is then driven to a redemption center.

How many items get gathered this way? From BT Facebook posts, we see 29,900 cans and bottles in Nov 24, 28,000 in Jan 25, 30,000 in Mar 25, and 35,000 in Jul 26! Just some examples. The point is: a LOT!!!

Does 5 cents add up? YES!!!

BT summed it up this way: “This weekend was spent by much of our crew sorting, counting and loading cans. While we’d rather be snuggling the cats or dishing up treats, we’d do it again in a heartbeat for our fabulous felines.”

09/26/2026

Virtual fostering is HIGHLY successful!

This Spring, The Cat Hut (adoption shelter of our grantee Hamilton County Animal AdvoCATes), launched a new shelter program: Future Foster Heroes. The novel program featured virtual fostering!

School kids from grades 2-12 were invited to the shelter to fill out an application. Then they could visit all the cats and pick out their favorite! After that, the kids came back during the summer to visit “their” cat, and play and cuddle with it. Parents accompanied and took photos or videos, which they shared to their own social media, along with commentary about the cat that would help it get adopted! Once adopted, the kid became a Foster Hero and was awarded her/his own Cat Hut T-shirt.

The program was a big hit!

A touching match was between Beatrix and her cat, a sweet but quiet one named Joy. One of Joy’s favorite things in the world was boxes. After Beatrix decorated a box just for her, Joy hopped right in! Beatrix also brought fun toys and discovered Joy loved to be brushed. Joy was very grateful for all the attention, and showed this by giving Beatrix a kiss!

Observing these visits, The Cat Hut said “Joy is a very happy girl and is coming out of her shell more and more. This is the importance of this program. It teaches the kids, while at the same time, the cats get much-needed attention and enrichment!”

Another foster hero was Simeon, whose first foster cat was Sweety. After she got adopted, he picked out his second foster cat, Oscar. Oscar was not a real looker, because of shaving to remove very matted hair But Simeon knew he would be beautiful when his hair grew out. Said Simeon, “Oscar is cute, playful, and a very good cat.”

A final match we’d like to showcase was Theo who picked Clawd. Theo found Clawd was instantly affectionate and loved playing with toys.

All in all, a VERY clever shelter program that worked out very well for all parties: the rescue that gained extra PR for some of their adoptables, the foster heroes who got to learn more about cats, the virtual foster cats that earned extra attention and play time, and the persons who were drawn to adopt them. All 4 cats cited above were adopted! Many win-wins.

09/23/2026

Donated litter is very appreciated

Litter donations from Dr. Elsey's have arrived this Fall for some of the rescues we work with. Included are litter for rescue use, and litter attractant for adopters to help their adopted cat(s) use their litterbox.

Our grantee Kossuth County Tails of Hope Rescue shared photos of a recent adopter with her new cat Rex, plus cat products she gets to take home. In their post, they wrote, “Thank you to Dr. Elsey's for supporting our rescue and for allowing us to start our adopters off on amazing products!” Note the great cat hug too!

When our grantee Tama County Humane Society got their first litter from Dr Elsey’s, they expressed their appreciation for Paws’ role in the donation. “We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Paws on Your Heart Pet Rescue Support,” they wrote, “for generously sharing information with us about the free cat litter from Dr. Elsey’s! Because of your kindness and willingness to share resources, we were able to take advantage of this opportunity and help provide something our shelter goes through A LOT of every day!”

When litter arrived this Fall at our grantee Almost Home Animal Rescue's shelter, they posted what the litter quantity looks like and what it means to their rescue. “A HUGE thank you to Dr. Elsey’s!” they wrote, “We are incredibly grateful for the generous donation of TWO FULL PALLETS of cat litter! Litter is something we use every single day, so a donation like this makes a tremendous difference for our little shelter. Every bag means resources we can put toward other needs for the animals in our care.”

Litter from Dr. Elsey’s and food donated by a shelter supporter prompted a post with thanks from Funky Paws Animal Rescue of Buchanan County. They wrote, “A truckload of love, hope, and inspiration!!! Thank you to Dr. Elsey’s for your continued support. Thank you Paws on Your Heart Rescue Support for the information to help us get the litter donation!”

Paws is grateful to have provided the tip to these rescues for how to get litter donations from Dr. Elsey’s. Such great products that mean so much to the recipients! Paws, in turn, thanks Midwest Pets For Life for giving us (years ago) the heads-up and guidance on how to apply for these litter donations.

For these rescues and for others to whom Paws has given the Dr. Elsey’s litter tip, the donations are a gift that just keep on giving! And whenever new donation shipments arrive, Paws very much appreciates hearing this (via a Facebook post tag), so that we can show our own supporters how our help continues to benefit pet rescues in IA.