No-kill Animal Shelter Seeks
 Donations for Generator

During recent winter storms C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter was among 250,000 Iowans without power. We don’t ever want to go through a week like that again.

Funds for a generator to power at least one of their buildings are being requested by workers at C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter, a refuge for special needs animals located north of Nashua, Iowa.

Recent winter storms dumped several inches of ice followed by about 20 inches of snow during the course of two storms. The shelter, which houses about 250 cats, was without power for five days.

A supporter has promised to get a generator of the needed size at cost, but at least $3,000 is still needed to purchase the Guardian Quiet Source Home Standby Generator System. This system runs off LP gas and automatically takes over whenever there is a power failure.

During the last power outages worker learned their kitties required 30 gallons of water daily as they found themselves hauling this amount of water from towns that still had electricity.

As temperatures dropped dangerously low, volunteers stayed round the clock to care for the cats. Some even slept with some of the senior felines to keep them warm.

Luckily, a recent grant allowed funds to replace the windows in one of the cat houses, so the temperature inside never dropped to 40 degrees, but it was still a trying time for cats and workers alike.

Along with winter storms, Iowa also battles summer storms and tornadoes which can also knock out the power. Carmen Conklin, one of the shelter owners say the generator is a “necessity for us in the future, and a great insurance even is never used again.”

C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter is a no-kill animal shelter located on a 190 acre farm in Iowa. The shelter takes in special needs animals along with those whose owners can no longer care for them for various reasons. The cats live cage-free in several different buildings which offer them a home-like environment.