Natascha Techen and Julie Holman have been taking in stray cats needing homes at 9 Lives Cat Rescue for nearly 10 years now, but by the end of November, its doors will close.
Techen and Holman met through Feral University Rebel Rescues in 2003 and founded 9 Lives Cat Rescue in 2006. They run the shelter out of an insulated garage in Holman’s home, where they clean cages and litter boxes, bathe the cats and supply food, water and medicine.
9 lives cat rescue to close down after 10 years. (Photo by: Timothy Steenwyk)
Techen, a research scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research, moved to Oxford 13 years ago from Hamburg, Germany.
“We found so many friendly cats on campus and we needed to find them homes,” Techen said. “That is why 9 Lives was founded.”
Techen said several people have volunteered regularly with 9 Lives. Volunteers helped clean cages, feed the cats, do laundry and run necessary errands for the shelter. Techen transports cats to Tupelo pet stores once they are healthy and ready to be adopted.
“I spent a lot of time on the road these past 10 years,” Techen said.
Caroline Smith, a junior accountancy major, was introduced to 9 Lives at this year’s Student Organization Fair during welcome week.
“I think 9 Lives Cat Rescue is an awesome organization,” Smith said. “Oxford Humane Society alone cannot take in every cat, so it’s great that 9 Lives is contributing to sheltering strays,” Smith said.
When 9 Lives Cat Rescue was founded, Techen and Holman funded the organization themselves.
“Every now and then people would donate money to us,” Techen said, “We had a lot of support from the community.”
Eventually, they were able to apply for grants with PetSmart and the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.
Techen said some cat rescues were more dramatic than others. She once drove to Batesville while the county was under a tornado watch to rescue a cat that had been hit by a car off the side of the road.
“He was partly paralyzed and had no control over his bowel movements,” Techen said. “I had to save him.”
Techen will be moving to Senatobia in January after 9 Lives closes its doors, and Holman will not have enough volunteers to continue running the shelter.
All of the remaining cats will be adopted and no more will be taken in. Holman is in charge of adoption interviews and finding homes for the cats.
“Before I came here, I always thought it was more important to help people, but that quickly changed for me because animals don’t have a voice,” Techen said. “They are being abused, neglected, starved and they need somebody to take care of them.”
Techen is very sad to see the shelter come to an end. She said 9 Lives has introduced her to many friends she considers to be family, since the rest of her family is in Germany.
“It has been a big part of my life,” Techen said. “It helped me to overcome my shyness when moving to a different country.”
Scottie Sheridan, sophomore English education major, believes the location of 9 Lives Cat Rescue is what helped it strive these past 10 years.
“You need to have a shelter in a community where majority of people want to adopt and where you can get a lot of volunteers, and a college town is perfect for that,” Sheridan said.
