Rescue cat-ches attention on Facebook
Rochester — Nestled into the woods, at 103 Marion Rd in Rochester, is a house with some fluffy, furry and fast residents. While they don't answer phones and can't feed themselves — the cats at It's All About the Animals do have some star power.
With over 74,000 followers, these felines are Facebook famous.
Pam Robinson runs the rescue that started out in her home 15 years ago. From there it blossomed into the rescue it is now — equipped with a cat-tio and laundry room.
"I think I have 25 cats right now," Robinson said. "And that's very little for me."
As the cats darted around her feet, a few were playing with frequent volunteer Shauna Makuch. She's been lending a hand since 2014 and said it's rewarding and "crazy," to be a part of the rescue.
"You come in as a volunteer and there's a cat that was here last week and it's gone. It was adopted," Makuch said.
Robinson started to post regularly to Facebook around the same time Makuch joined. As her following grew, her goal in posting to the platform became informing people.
"People love seeing the kittens but it's also trying to get through to people the importance of sterilizing. People don't realize how many kittens alone are euthanized."
From memes to important surgery updates, Robinson holds no bars. The posts including her husband Oren feeding the kittens often get the most hits, however.
Robinson and Oren get recognized in public due to the popularity of the rescue. She said she went to get sandwiches and the employee put a picture of a cat on the wrapper for her.
"I said, 'I love cats,' and she said, 'I know, I follow you on Facebook,'" Robinson said.
She said she plans to still post updates, photos and education about the cats for as long as they can. For now, Robinson populates the feeds of fans with cute kitties and constant comeback stories about the rescued cats.
"I can't help it but love them," she said. "I always want the ones that nobody wants."
Robinson goes through various approval processes for adoption and will contact potential new pet parents to set up an appointment at the shelter. The cats available and those interested can be viewed on the rescue’s website.