Just Cats Tasmania Inc. (Just Cats) was founded in 2012 by Rachel Beech. A local farmer had found a cat and litter of kittens in a tiny wooden box. Rachel offered to care for mum and her litter, and later she desexed, vaccinated, and microchipped the kittens and found homes for them. The mother cat (desexed) was returned to the farmer as a barn cat. News travelled fast that there was a woman in town willing to take on stray or abandoned cats and before long Rachel was getting inundated with homeless cats. The first little shelter was a small outbuilding on her property in rural Tasmania, taking in the lost and unwanted, caring for them, desexing and rehoming them. As demand grew more sheds and buildings were needed to care for felines and the public interest and support began to grow. Just Cats Tasmania was incorporated in July 2013 and a board was appointed to provide governance and support to Rachel.
The judges noted the progress Just Cats Tasmania has made over the last few years and the impact on the outcomes of cats in northern Tasmania. The judges were impressed with their desexing and colony cats programs as well as their facilities, particularly the crisis care shelter for families and their cats facing challenges. Well done!
