R.E.A.L. Cruzan Cats
Rescue. Educate. Adopt. Love.
Our mission is to improve the lives of cats on St. Croix.
Total Cats & Kittens Adopted
R.E.A.L. Cruzan Cats is a 501c3 cat rescue dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats on the island of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Founded in 2016, over the past 8 years we have placed over 1000 cats and kittens (and several dozen dogs as well) into loving homes; we've also TNVRed (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return) thousands of feral cats. For much of 2024, we have been covering the cost of TNVR for the public while our volunteers continue our trapping program, with surgeries performed through partnerships with the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center and Progressive Veterinary Hospital.
In early 2021, we began supplying free cat food island-wide to members of the community who feed feral cats but cannot afford to purchase supplies. We are currently supplying over 500 pounds of cat food per month to help feed community cats in colonies around the island.
To keep this work up, we need your help! Please DONATE, every little bit helps! If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor to help us succeed in our mission, please email rcc@realcruzancats.org
In early 2021, we began supplying free cat food island-wide to members of the community who feed feral cats but cannot afford to purchase supplies. We are currently supplying over 500 pounds of cat food per month to help feed community cats in colonies around the island.
To keep this work up, we need your help! Please DONATE, every little bit helps! If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor to help us succeed in our mission, please email rcc@realcruzancats.org
Since boosting our TNVR program in 2022, we have prevented billions of homeless cats from being born on St. Croix by 2030. The impact over every single spay and neuter is IMMENSE! Help us do more by donating or signing up to volunteer today!
Our TNVR Program
Our primary objective is to rescue cats in need. St. Croix is a tropical island, so the breeding season never ends. With our TVNR (Trap Vaccinate Neuter Return) program, we aim to control the overpopulation on the island, while taking in adoptable cats and kittens and working with no-kill shelters and rescue groups on the mainland to find loving forever homes.
# Cats RCC has TNVRed through our program:
# Homeless Cats that will NOT be born by 2030:
Our Sanctuary Project Update
Our Goal: To create a cat sanctuary that provides a safe, permanent home for the cats of Altona Lagoon and injured cats who need special care.The Plan: Initially, our plan was to use the lot we acquired in 2021 to build a dedicated cat sanctuary. This sanctuary would provide a safe haven for the Altona Lagoon cats and serve as a recovery space for injured cats with no other options.
However, when we began clearing the property in 2024, we discovered significant challenges. The lot’s location in a flood plain and its proximity to a commercial area in Christiansted made it unsuitable for a true safe sanctuary.
The past year has been especially challenging for our team. Veterinary costs have soared, and the need for feral cat food has grown due to rising pet food prices. Compounding this, a lack of veterinary services in late 2023 and early 2024 stalled high-volume TNVR efforts, leading to a sharp increase in the island’s cat population.
In response, our team has voted to sell the centrally located lot and use the proceeds to strengthen our TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) program. At the same time, we will search for a more rural, suitable location to build the sanctuary and continue working toward a long-term solution.
What We Still Need to Build the Sanctuary
1. Fencing: We’ve already purchased Purrfect Fencing to safely contain cats within the sanctuary and have several "catio" enclosures ready for sick or vulnerable cats. However, keeping predators out and ensuring cat safety requires additional chain-link fencing with razor or barbed wire. The average quotes for these materials with installation is $75,000. Rising material costs have pushed this expense far beyond our original budget.2. Land Clearing: Once we secure a new lot, we’ll need volunteers to clear the jungle, level the land, and help with landscaping. Keep an eye out for calls for help—your support will make all the difference!
3. Feeding Stations & Protective Housing: Do you have experience building housing and feeding stations for feral cats? We’d love your expertise and assistance! Please email us with your ideas or to volunteer your time.
We remain committed to making the sanctuary a reality while continuing to support the island’s feral cats through TNVR, feeding programs, medical care, and taking vulnerable kittens into our foster program for adoption. Thank you for standing with us as we adapt and move forward with our mission.
Programs
Rescue. Educate. Adopt. Love.
Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release
Our primary objective is to rescue cats in need. St. Croix is a tropical island, so the breeding season never ends. Working with other organizations and TVNR (Trap Vaccinate Neuter Return) programs, we aim to control the overpopulation on the island, while taking in adoptable cats and kittens and working with no-kill shelters and rescue groups on the mainland to find loving forever homes. We work with a truly fantastic team of vets, vet techs, and volunteers to trap, spay/neuter, treat for injuries and illnesses, and help with recovery both at our clinic and in foster homes before and after surgery.
If you are interested in learning how to trap or want to get involved to help us end cat overpopulation on island, please email us!
Education
The goal is to teach as many people as we can to value and respect the lives of all animals. Our focus is to train individuals or groups of people how to trap cats, proper feral cat colony management, bottle feeding and raising kittens who have lost their mothers, animal introductions so that our fosters and adoptions are successful, and how to foster cats and kittens. LOVE... the most important aspect of the work we do! Some of the animals we rescue have been traumatized by abuse or neglect. We tenderly heal them both physically and emotionally so they can thrive and go on to live a long, happy life! We aim to find enthusiastic volunteers to aid in our mission of love.
Adoption
Ultimately we want all domestic cats in great forever homes! We find wonderful families for the felines we rescue, both on the island of St. Croix and on the US mainland. Our screening process assures that every animal is placed in a compassionate home. We support our adopters every step of the way, giving advice to make the transition for the felines and their new families a smooth one.
To see our cats and kittens currently available for adoption, click here.
Food for Ferals
We know fellow animal lovers want to help all the homeless cats they meet! But it's not always easy to afford extra cat food. In honor of Maron Thorne, a friend to all felines who passed away in 2021, we started our Food for Ferals program, to supply cat food around the island to people who need extra help. This not only helps the people who help our island's cats, but also keeps cats from needing to be relocated, which is not always possible.
If you feed cats in St. Croix and need help, please email us
Partners
Partners
What People Say?
Contact
Call Us
+1 (234) REAL-CAT
Please leave a message and one of our volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible!
Please leave a message and one of our volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible!
Address
Mailing (donation checks):
65 Turning Mill Road, Lexington, MA 02420
Mailing (donation items):
R.E.A.L. Cruzan Cats, PO Box 2007, Kingshill, VI 00851-2007
65 Turning Mill Road, Lexington, MA 02420
Mailing (donation items):
R.E.A.L. Cruzan Cats, PO Box 2007, Kingshill, VI 00851-2007
Interested in Volunteering?
We ALWAYS need volunteers! If you are interested in fostering, trapping, transporting (we need drivers on St. Croix and in New England as well as TRAVELERS from St. Croix to Boston), building or gardening our new sanctuary, or helping with fundraising or PR, please get in touch! We a-purr-ciate your support!