Baby Frankie, 14, lost both of her parents within one week before coming to Laps and Naps and being adopted.
Nancy Gavin “was born loving cats.”
“I’ve always felt drawn to them,” Gavin said.
Her love of cats led her to co-found the nonprofit Laps and Naps Home for Senior Cats. She now serves as president of the organization.
Gavin said Laps and Naps started with an idea in 2019 and received 501(c)3 status in 2020, mere weeks before the pandemic shut down the country. She said because of this, Laps and Naps counts 2021 as the first full year in operation.
The nonprofit is a senior cat rescue that places senior cats, aged 9 or older, in homes that can adequately care for them.
Gavin said well over 350 cats have come through the organization and that Laps and Naps currently has approximately 45 cats in the nonprofits care. These cats are in a mix between foster and sanctuary homes. Cats in foster homes are waiting to be adopted while cats in sanctuary homes are harder to adopt. In both cases, Laps and Naps cover the medical costs.
Gavin described sanctuary homes as “a cross between a foster home and an adoption” because while the cats remain under the guardianship of Laps and Naps, the cats stay in the same home and are not on the adoption list.
“This is for cats that are not as adoptable, whether due to advanced age or illness or behavioral issues,” Gavin said. “The people who have the sanctuary cats are people who would adopt a senior cat, except they’re afraid of the medical expenses, so this is a win-win for the cats and the people.”
No cages are used for the cats of Laps and Naps. With foster homes mostly in the Asheville and Hendersonville area, there are homes in other places like Charlotte, Durham and South Carolina. Having these homes so spread out makes it more difficult to find permanent homes for the cats, according to Gavin.
Brothers Carson and Jimmy Jimmy, both 18, were brought to Laps and Naps when their owner could no longer care for them. They spent the rest of their lives being cared for by a Laps and Naps volunteer.
“We’ll take foster homes wherever we can find them,” Gavin said.
Potential adopters go through a vetting process before they are allowed to go meet a cat at a fosters home.
Cats looking for homes can be found on the Laps and Naps website and while the cats are not physically there, representatives from Laps and Naps are at the weekly Black Mountain Tailgate Market on Saturdays.
Currently based in Gavin’s home office in Black Mountain, the next step in the evolution of Laps and Naps will involve a move to Marion. There, Gavin said, Laps and Naps will build a sanctuary on more than five acres of land.
Described by Gavin as a “retirement home for senior cats,” the sanctuary already has completed architectural drawings and permits. All that’s left now is to raise the money.
Laps and Naps plans to build a senior cat sanctuary in Marion.
When completed, the sanctuary will have both multi- and single cat rooms, each with a window view and every cat will have access to an outside space.
“I just believe in fresh air and sunshine for cats,” Gavin said.
She said there will also be a medical room for intake and basic medical procedures and vaccinations, but not surgeries. A quarantine area will also be included.
As for the 65-year-old Gavin, she said helping senior cats is one of her final life goals.
Laps and Naps plans to build a senior cat sanctuary in Marion.
“I just feel that this is my end of life goal … is to see that this cat sanctuary is built so there will be a place for senior cats to go and either be adopted out or to live out the rest of their lives in the sanctuary,” Gavin said.
She said she remains and advocate for senior cats.
“We just ask people to consider senior cats,” Gavin said. “So often these cats are overlooked, but they have so much love to give. Senior cats become very affectionate, most of them do, as they age and so we just ask them to consider either fostering or adopting a senior cat and if they can’t foster or adopt, support us financially.”
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Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley communities reporter for Black Mountain News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Black Mountain News: Laps and Naps cares for senior cats, looks to build sanctuary
