9 lives and beyond: Area animal lovers set up life-sparing sanctuary

Fearless knows few fears. While most cats cower in new surroundings, the pint-sized, gray-coated kitten sauntered into his new home with the attitude of "Here I am."

The tailless Manx suffers from spina bifida, a spinal disorder that commonly occurs within his breed. To ease his discomfort, he now wears an infant-sized diaper courtesy of Southeast Missouri Hospital.

His home is at the Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill animal facility scheduled to open Oct. 8. It will offer a temporary home for abandoned cats and dogs and provide a low-cost spay and neuter program. It sits on three acres of wooded land on Cree Road off Route W in Fruitland, and it will be open on Saturdays only.

Despite Fearless' special needs, "He just wraps everyone around his little paw," said Alice Wybert, board president of Safe Harbor. His special needs make him unadoptable, so the facility is his permanent home.

Wybert has rescued cats most of her life, she said, and as a hospice nurse, she frequently helps hospice residents who worry about the welfare of their pets when they leave.

She also volunteered at the Sundog Animal Sanctuary in Bloomfield, Mo., and was inspired to start her own no-kill facility. Since funding was too low to afford formal training at a sanctuary in Utah, Wybert gathered all the information she could from Sundog.

Board member and friend Belita Brammer joined Wybert at Sundog and also became inspired to help.

"I think it's a wonderful thing for the community," said Brammer, who has been fostering Wybert's rescued cats for years. She supports the Humane Society as well, she said, but understands the burden the facility has to euthanize.

Wybert and six friends banded together to form Safe Harbor. They started a satellite operation at Bush's Gardens in Gordonville. The group successfully adopted out 63 kittens and four cats between Memorial Day and July 23 at the gardens.

"I could not believe the number of kittens that are produced," Wybert said. One cat can have up to three litters per season.

In December, Wybert purchased three acres of her son's property, which included a house and a mechanic's shop. The house will be rented out to a full-time caretaker.

The 20-by-24-foot barn-shaped shop was converted into two fenced-in housing sections and a general area that includes a modest office and isolation rooms for the most frightened newcomers. An adjacent outside lounging section is constructed of an 18-by-21-foot, two-car port enclosed with zoo-grade fencing.

Bobolink, a 3-year-old black-and-white female, was introduced on July 25, and the population has grown to 35. The facility holds up to 50 cats.

Plans before the grand opening include clearing the landscape of construction debris and constructing lofts and cubby holes to provide recreation and retreat for the felines. A dog kennel and a stronger foster care system is on the wish list.

Not-for-profit status is pending. Papers were finalized and submitted last week and the process takes six to nine months for approval.

"It requires an enormous amount of work," Wybert said. "It has taken a team effort."

With or without a not-for-profit status, Safe Harbor will continue to find homes for opinionated calicos, confused tabbies, loving mothers and love-you-then-leave-you black and whites.

As for Fearless, he is right at home.

"He is a happy-go-lucky guy that loves humans as long as you love him and hold him and kiss him," Wybert said.

jmetelski@semissourian.com

For more information about Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary, contact Wybert at 243-2237.