In 1992, the founders of what would ultimately become the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS), stepped in to address a feral cat population crisis along Newburyport’s waterfront. They knew they could not stand by while innocent animals suffered and so they created what would become a nationally recognized trap/neuter/release program, while also creating multiple feeding and housing stations for the community cats. It is because they dared to care that the cat population was addressed and MRFRS was established.
From those early days, MRFRS has grown into the largest cat-only organization in New England and is a leader at the forefront of changing cats’ lives for the better. We’ve done this by providing programs and services that promote access to low-cost spay/neuter and wellness, pet retention, and loving homes through adoption, especially for harder to place kitties.
Our Vision: A compassionate world where all cats live happy and healthy lives.
Mission: To improve the lives of all cats and provide support and education for the people who care about them.
Our programs include:
- Adoption Program: a no-kill adoption center in Salisbury, MA
- Feral Program: assistance with feral TNR (trap, vaccinate, neuter, and release) program
- Sunday Spay/Neuter Clinics: monthly spay/neuter clinics for feral cats
- The Catmobile: a low-cost mobile spay/neuter clinic covering Merrimack Valley, plus Eastern and Central MA and Southern NH
- Foster Program: cats and kittens in need of TLC before adoption
- Feline Assistance Resources & Support (FARS) Program: assistance with veterinary care costs for owned cats
- The Captain Courageous Fund: assistance for injured feral cats
Since our inception, the MRFRS has assisted over 143,000 cats —
- placing over 24,600 cats and kittens into homes
- spaying or neutering over 89,900 on our Catmobile and Sunday Feral Clinics
- providing subsidized care to over 770 cats through our Feline Assistance Resources & Support (FARS) program
- vaccinating over 2,820 cats and microchipping over 540 at our low-cost Rabies & Microchip clinics
To learn more about MRFRS and our effective, life-saving programs, visit www.mrfrs.org.