About Us

Our Mission

Here at Paws On Your Heart, we have always had a passion for the protection of all life, whether human, animal, or plant. We believe that all living things deserve respect and compassion, and we strive to carry out that belief every day. Some of the ways in which we do this include:

  • Community outreach: setting up cat colonies, shelters and feeding stations with the co-operation of community members; assisting people who are having difficulty taking care of their own cats, particularly cats who have developed medical problems (through financial aid and/or education).
  • Promotion of cat welfare: increasing awareness of the problems feral cats face; promoting the value and respect of cats in society; increasing the public understanding of cats (see below).
  • Education: offering free and paid information to the public; reaching out to cat owners who may be having problems with their cats, and helping them achieve a more balanced and happy relationship.
  • Our sanctuary: we, the Rebin family (Norm, Delva, and Niki)  have worked with stray and feral cats for decades, both in the Niagara region and in the Prairies. Along the way, we have met many new furry friends.  Every single cat we work with is given a name and each one has a unique personality and set of needs. To learn more about some of our cats and to read their stories, visit our Meet the Cats page!
  • But, our fully secured cat sanctuary sits in the center of almost 40 acres of our Century Farm which we have dedicated as a preserve for local wildlife.  In partnership with Ducks Unlimited, 17 acres of that preserve includes a small lake.  Regular visitors include beavers, muskrats, foxes, porcupines, deer, and even a wolf.  .  . and, birds!  Our preserve sits under the North American flyway used by hundreds of species to migrate to and from their nesting grounds up north.  Through the spring and fall, we lose count of the dozens of kinds of birds of all sizes and colors who grace our trees and grounds.  Special visitors include nesting pelicans from the world biosphere next door and periodically, four whooping cranes.  Year round friends, however, are the chickadees who sit on our hats and discuss the weather.

 Meet Niki, our founder and spokesperson

Niki has been a nature lover and supporter all her life and appreciates the inter-relationship of all the plants, animals and habitats. Her mission is to give all the incredible individuals who support any facet of our natural world the motivation and the tools to multiply their impact and influence.

She also believes in serendipity. So, she has chosen, as our major funding initiative, to offer her speaking, coaching and consulting skills to like minded groups. Ask her to:

  • motivate your volunteers:
  • provide you with tips and techniques to attract new members and deepen your relationship with established volunteers:
  • lead your team through the mysteries and masteries of inexpensive and targeted online marketing.

Niki’s programs include “Done by You”, “Done with You” and “Done for You” versions.

Whether you choose a speech, a training session or a full scale consulting program, Niki’s enthusiasm and breadth of marketing communications will inspire your board, your staff and your members. Your organization will be renewed.

P.S. Don’t forget to ask her about the cats.

Our  Founding Team

We are happy to have dedicated staff members on our team, and they each serve an important function at our headquarters:

Hilary is our Office Manager — she takes care of important things like accounting, administration, and generally keeping everyone in line! It would be quite the challenge to keep everything running smoothly without our indispensable Office Manager, so if you call headquarters and hear Hilary on the other end, be sure to give her a big thank-you!

Jen is our Marketing Manager — she creates marketing material and runs our campaigns. Jen’s marketing savvy is what lets us get the Paws On Your Heart name out there, increasing the number of people who can benefit from our information and help us make the cats’ lives better. If you’ve found us online, you have Jen to thank for it!

Jade is our Production Manager — she creates content for our site, as well as videos and web design. These materials help us connect with our supporters and build a community of cat lovers on the web. If you have enjoyed this content, now you know where it came from!

Cat shelves

Our Facilities

We have also recently relocated our operations to brand new facilities — the cats are now happily residing in a converted house with plenty of indoor and outdoor space. Our family has owned this rural property for many years, and we converted it into a sanctuary for wildlife in 1985, re-naming it Hillview Acres Animal & Nature Preserve. Hillview Acres is home to deer, waterfowl, prairie dogs, and many other forms of wildlife and vegetation, and now we can add cats to that list of residents!

Latest Press Releases

Feral Cat Sanctuary Paws On Your Heart Announces 2012 Black Cat Contest: October 28, 2012
Paws On Your Heart’s 2012 Black Cat Contest Almost Closed: October 31, 2012
Paws On Your Heart Announces Winner of 2012 Black Cat Contest: November 4, 2012
Paws On Your Heart Announces “Name the New Kitten” Contest: November 18, 2012
A Few Days Left in Paws On Your Heart’s “Name the New Kitten” Contest: November 24, 2012

Paws On Your Heart’s “Name the New Kitten” Contest Winner Announced: December 13, 2012

Paws On Your Heart Announces 2012 Holiday Cat Photo Contest: December 14, 2012

Forums We Have Contributed To:

Cat Forum
Pet Forums Community
Cat Chat: Feline Forum
Cat World
Catster
The Cat Site
Cat Channel

{ 1 comment }

Nancy Peterson October 31, 2012 at 9:38 AM

Hello,

Thank you for helping community cats. I recently learned about your organization and would lke to send you free resources that may be helpful.

Keep up the good work!

Nancy Peterson
Cat Programs Manager
The Humane Society of the United States

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