Official Statement from the Board of Directors of Happy Cat Sanctuary
Issue date: 4/27/2025
On March 31st, Happy Cat Sanctuary suffered an unimaginable tragedy — a devastating fire that claimed the life of our beloved founder, Chris, and over 120 of our cherished feline residents. The heartbreak rippled through our board members, volunteers, and the entire local community who knew and loved Chris’s unwavering dedication to every life he saved.
We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support, kindness, and offers to help that we have received in these painful weeks. Our commitment remains firm: we will honor Chris’s vision, maintain full transparency, and work tirelessly to protect the remaining cats.
This statement is intended to address misinformation, outline our immediate and long-term plans, and unite our community under a shared future built on love, resilience, and hope.
1. What Happened
On the morning of March 31st, a catastrophic fire broke out at Happy Cat Sanctuary, resulting in the tragic loss of Chris — the heart and soul of our mission — and over 120 cats. Chris’s tireless spirit built this sanctuary from nothing into a safe haven for the forgotten, the unwanted, and the unloved. Those of us who worked alongside him for years are still grieving while beginning the difficult process of rebuilding and moving forward.
2. Immediate Response (First Three Weeks After the Fire)
Within 72 hours of the fire, we mobilized to create emergency housing for the surviving cats.
With help from over 100 local volunteers, veterinarians, and the Suffolk County SPCA, we set up temporary shelters, secured urgent veterinary care, and coordinated with trusted rescue partners to provide safe temporary homes.
In a short window of time, over 200 cats were medically assessed, SNAP tested, vaccinated, microchipped, and treated for injuries. It was a monumental task — one we had never faced before — but together, we succeeded in giving these survivors a chance at healing.
3. The Upstate Sanctuary Project
Chris’s dream was to relocate Happy Cat Sanctuary to a peaceful upstate property, away from years of harassment and false accusations at our Long Island location.
Before the fire, the upstate facility was in early development stages, housing approximately 80 cats under the care of an onsite volunteer. However, after Chris’s passing, it became clear that without his daily oversight, sustaining operations remotely would be unsustainable. A recent site inspection confirmed these challenges.
No final decision has been made yet. However, we are seriously considering relocating closer to our Long Island roots, where our board members and long-time volunteers can ensure the highest standard of care, honoring Chris’s legacy with new strength and focus.
4. Status of the Rescued Cats
All surviving cats were immediately transported to safe locations where they were given thorough medical care.
Many were transferred to trusted local rescues with excellent reputations and ample resources. It’s important to note: these rescues were carefully chosen based on experience, facility quality, and commitment to animal welfare.
While emergency decisions had to be made quickly to save lives, all cats remain under formal agreements prohibiting unauthorized transfers and requiring proper medical care. Our Board Vice President maintains regular communication with each rescue, receiving updates and videos to monitor wellbeing.
Personal adoptions were extremely limited — only a handful of emotionally bonded volunteers adopted cats, and each adoption followed strict vetting procedures and contracts.
The remaining cats are currently housed safely as we stabilize and prepare for the next phase of Happy Cat Sanctuary’s future.
5. Vision of Happy Cat Sanctuary: Past, Present, and Future
Chris’s founding vision was simple but profound: create a "happy" safe haven for discarded, forgotten cats who had nowhere else to go. He fought for the underdogs — giving them dignity, love, and a home.
We remain committed to that mission. Moving forward, we envision expanding Chris’s dream:
- Building a sanctuary with onsite medical facilities and veterinary staff.
- Creating an adoption center with strict protocols to ensure every cat finds a true forever home.
- Developing socialization areas to help more cats become adoptable.
- Our promise: We will never stray from protecting, healing, and advocating for cats in need.
6. Leadership and Board Decisions
In the immediate aftermath, Lisa Jaeger demonstrated remarkable leadership, helping set up quarantine areas within 72 hours to save as many cats as possible. While hindsight will always bring critics, we are proud of the life-saving efforts made under extreme conditions.
Every major decision has been made with full Board support, rooted firmly in the best interests of the cats and the continuation of Chris’s legacy.
7. Immediate Plan (Next 1-3 Months)
Our focus for the coming months is stabilization:
Ensuring the health, safety, and comfort of the cats.
Finalizing a temporary indoor facility, featuring medical rooms, isolation areas, and a large free-roaming cat lounge bathed in natural light.
Organizing volunteer schedules to maintain a high standard of daily care.
8. Short-Term Plan (Next 6-12 Months)
We plan to consolidate operations at the new temporary facility while we build the foundation for a permanent sanctuary closer to our Long Island base.
Fundraising, volunteer engagement, and community outreach will be critical to achieving this vision — and we commit to full transparency and accountability every step of the way.
9. Long-Term Vision and Forecast
By 2026, our goal is to build a permanent, state-of-the-art sanctuary featuring:
- Advanced medical treatment centers
- A dedicated adoption facility
- Expanded rescue capabilities, including potential TNR support
- Structured committees for adoptions, intake, facility management, and fundraising, all reporting directly to the Board.
- This will not only honor Chris’s dream — it will expand it beyond what any of us thought possible.
10. Addressing Rumors and Misinformation
We understand grief can fuel emotions, but we urge our community to focus on facts, not speculation.
Claims of mistreatment or reckless adoptions are completely unfounded and hurtful to the dedicated volunteers working around the clock for the cats’ wellbeing.
We extend an open invitation: If you have concerns or questions, please contact us directly — not through social media rumors. Our doors are open for dialogue.
Closing Statement
Despite our heartbreak, Happy Cat Sanctuary remains united in love, resilience, and hope.
We thank every single supporter — past, present, and future — for standing with us. Together, we will honor Chris’s spirit by creating an even brighter, stronger future for the cats he loved so fiercely.
In Chris’s name, and in the names of all the lives still depending on us, Happy Cat Sanctuary will rise again.
Sincerely,
Happy Cay Inc Board of directors, volunteers and staff
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Update on Rescue Efforts at Happy Cat Sanctuary
Date: April 10, 2025
We would like to provide a transparent update on the ongoing rescue efforts at Happy Cat Sanctuary and address some of the questions and concerns from the public.
Ongoing Rescue Operations
At this time, the recovery of deceased cats from the house and the safe trapping of feral cats still on the property is actively underway. Many have asked why the process appears to be taking so long. Please understand that when this tragedy occurred, no rescuers or trappers were allowed on the premises for four days. Due to the loss of life, it was considered an active crime scene and required supervision from the District Attorney’s office before any animal recovery could begin.
During this initial waiting period, the Sanctuary's board members, in consultation with other experienced 501(c)(3) rescue organizations, immediately began a two-phase emergency response:
- 1. Emergency Medical Response: Severely injured or ill cats were trapped around the perimeter and rushed to local emergency veterinary hospitals.
- 2. Trapping Effort Coordination: Approved trappers were assigned to begin — and continue — trapping outside cats who were not visibly injured, for safe transport to the warehouse facility for vetting. While we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of public support and offers to help trap, the board made the decision to limit trapping efforts to a few trusted individuals. This is being done to avoid further traumatizing the already distressed cats by minimizing the number of people on site and maintaining a calm, coordinated approach.
- 2. Temporary Shelter Setup: Volunteers quickly secured a warehouse space to house up to 200 animals. They obtained or received donations of large double-door dog crates, and began setting up medical and intake areas. Veterinary teams and technicians were brought in to assess each cat upon intake, evaluating temperament (friendly, semi-feral, or feral), administering full vaccinations, SNAP testing, scanning for microchips, and conducting comprehensive health checks.
- 3. Assignment Each cat was then assigned a crate number, and if no microchip was found, one was implanted. Any cats showing signs of respiratory or other contagious illnesses were moved to an isolation area for close monitoring.