Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Martins.
Hi Katie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I guess in short there is no real answer to that question. I grew up in a small city south of Boston, MA. A city that is overpopulated, poverty ridden and suffers from a severe opoid epidemic. A child of a drug and alcohol addicted absent single mom. We were poverty stricken and never had very much in physical belongings. We moved alot, due to evictions and unstable parenting.
Child protection services were called but never did anything, we remained in an extremely emotional and physically abusive home, until we were old enough to leave. We were bullied at school and social events, for having hand me down ,ripped clothing, and our living conditions. My only saving grace was my grandmother, an immigrants daughter that worked 3 jobs until she could no longer see. Took care of all her kids and their kids until she fell ill and passed away. Life for me got dark without her. She was my aspiration, my best friend, the only person who had ever been there for me. The only person who ever loved me.
I guess thats were I saught solstice in the unconditional love that animals provide. Animals didn’t care that i was poor. Animals didnt look away from my messy hair or dirty clothes. Animals didnt call me names or abuse me. Animals healed my heart.
During my formative years , I was fortunate enough to have quality people who cared to show me the things my mom had not. They showed me compassion , empathy, morals. Taught me to leave things better then I found them and to always do the right thing, not matter the surrounding circumstances. They taught me to follow through, do quality work, no matter what the job and put in 100% every day. Because as long as you do your absolute best, thats all that matters. I live that philosophy every day at the rescue. I never give up, no mater how hard it gets. I never apologize for my efforts or let others negativity effect our mission. I show up every day, no mater what..I show up.
I grew up ,raised my own children and watched them grow in to beautiful adults. During my children’s lives animals were always present. From lizards,hamsters, cats, dogs and horses. They were apart of their lives.
I held many careers over the years from Baker to Chef to Quality Control and Food Safety Specialist to an artisan cheese maker.
I loved being a cheese maker! I worked for a band of 4 brothers who were 3rd generation dairy farmers looking to make ends meet with the dropping price of milk. I was up before the sun, when the world is quiet. Fresh air and milking cows to make our products. It was a sense of peace and family I had never experienced before. Unfortunately, that career came to an end and I was left with a big void in my heart. I missed it, the smells, the barn , and most of all the family feeling. But life keeps moving and so do we.
I started working at Equestrian facilities and thats basically where this story begins. I was recruited to work here in PA, as a live in barn manager. Pennsylvania was beautiful! It was everything that the big city wasn’t. It had green grass, trees and a sense of freedom with all this open land. Then I was injured and had to leave the property. My arm had been severely dislocated and tore all the muscles in my neck and back. I was ordered to were a brace 24/7 for 4 months. During that time I found employment at another Equestrian facility, that was willing to let me work to my ability.
Not 1 month after removing my shoulder brace and I fell horseback riding and broke 2 vertebrae in my back. Back in another full back brace for 4 months. During that down time I started finding orphaned kittens at the barn, some as young as 1 day old. Mom’s were reproducing at an alarming rate, some too young to know how to care for their babies. I began taking the kittens home and learning to bottle feed. The more I took in the more that would turn up or people would find on surrounding properties. Then I began to think, how would I find these precious babies homes without being a rescue or animal organization. Thats where Kate’s House of Paws, was born.
Unfortunately for me I was completely unaware of the stray / feral cat population in the area and was immediately bombarded with calls for help. I threw all my personal finances in to all our expenses and immediately threw myself in to debt. But we keep moving. I registered as a non-profit, began fundraising and the calls for help have not stopped yet.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There is nothing nice or smooth in rescue. In my own ignorance, I was under the impression that starting a rescue would be welcomed and supported by other community rescues, that we would all work together in some compassionate unity. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We were met with online bullying, public slander , false reporting to the federal government. It was wild. So in addition to all the stressors of running a non-profit, the sleepless nights, the worry, the financial issues, I then had to fight neighboring rescues and defend my organization. It was just like my childhood. Well, the one thing my childhood taught me was never to fear anyone or anything, be completely transparent and people will see the truth. So thats what I did, I pushed through the hard times, bullying and toxic behavior of these rescues and just kept moving forward. If my childhood couldn’t break me then these individuals had no chance. I never lashed back out at them, I never responded to their ignorance and I never named in the public posts or acknowledged their behavior.
Rescue is anything but easy. It is the absolute hardest battle for every living animal to be safe , fed and loved. But it is worth it! To see those little babies grow up and find loving homes, to see the kittens so sick they couldn’t pick up their head to eat finally play. There is nothing more rewarding.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We here at Kate’s House of Paws are a foster based stray/ feral cat rescue. We intake as many stray and feral cats off the streets of Lehigh Valley, as possible. We work tirelessly literally 24/7 to make a dramatic impact on this horrible situation. The number to the rescue is my direct line, I answer and intake cats/ kittens in need at any hour of the day. The efforts of our fosters go on nonstop. We bottle feed newborns every 2hrs around the clock for months at a time. We are there my their side like a worred parent when they are ill. None of our intakes are indoor cats, every single one is directly from the street. We provide TNR services and spay/ neuter assistance in low income neighborhoods. Every animal that comes in to our care is treated as if they were our own pet. They are given a chance they never had and a voice to speak for them. Through a network of dedicated volunteers, who provide loving, caring foster homes We make sure every single furbaby is given the absolute best life! Without our fosters and public donations, we would not be here.
We are their lifeline.
What matters most to you?
Making a difference in the lives of those without a voice. Helping to heal and love the unwanted. Seeing these babies sleep for the 1st time in their lives, to be safe, warm , fed and loved is immeasurable. Kate’s House is more then just a rescue…we are a family!
If you would like more info on Kate’s House of Paws or you would like to contribute to our mission, you can do so through our website at www.kateshouseofpaws.org
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Kateshouseofpaws.org
