Having grown up on a northern Indiana farm, Nancy Dryden never lost her passion for animals. specially cats.
Dryden, a veterinary technician since 1995, has become Elgin’s cat rescuer extraordinaire. Her love of cats has grown into a haven for orphaned kittens, cats with special needs, injured felines and those who just can’t seem to find their ‘happy place.’ Dryden stresses that she does not take surrendered felines. Those should be taken to the local humane society. However, she will respond should an emergency arise, when felines are found to be in a dangerous situation or there is evidence of abuse. Presently, Dryden has three four-week-old orphaned kittens she is bottle feeding. They accompany her everywhere, even when she is at work.
Dryden keeps her rescued cats at her home and bunkhouse on thirteen acres in Elgin. She does adopt out some of her cats and kittens, but stresses that she is picky about the homes they are given. All adoptees are spayed, neutered and vaccinated before placement to give them a good start in their new homes. Dryden feels strongly about the importance of controlling the numbers of unwanted cats, urging people to “please spay and neuter your cats, even barn cats, so as not to contribute to the overpopulation.”
An Arizona resident since 1989, Dryden has been rescuing cats as long as she can remember. She founded her nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Kitty Kasa Rescue Inc. in August 2017, and can now accept tax deductible donations to help with her cause. Working
at a local CPA office and as a relief vet tech helps her to fund her passion as well, but the need for food and veterinary care for her charges requires additional funding. She is also working on obtaining grant money to bring a low-cost mobile spay/neuter clinic to the area.
To help with expenses, Dryden has mugs with the Kitty Kasa logo on them available for sale. In addition, Rancho Rossa Vineyards, in Elgin, will be hosting a special event the first weekend of December to benefit Kitty Kasa. There will be a raffle and fifty percent of wine
sales will be donated to her for the rescue efforts.
A website is under construction for Kitty Kasa Rescue Inc. Kitty Kasa can also be found on Facebook and donations are accepted through www.paypal.me/kittykasarescue. For more information, Dryden can be contacted at kittykasarescue@gmail.com.