Our Story

KittyMamas began in October 2021 when a few cat-loving individuals in the community jumped into action and started  rescuing cats and kittens. It began when our founder, Candice Firman, saw a posting on the Nextdoor app about people trapping cats in a junkyard in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. Sadly, people used the junkyard as a drop-off for unwanted cats and kittens. People were posting about needing help to catch the cats. The more Candice read, she realized that these people did not know what they were doing--they were catching cats in cages, separating the kittens from the cats and leaving the cats in the cages in their own feces and urine. She decided she had to do something.  

The first night she went to the junkyard, they showed her how to trap the cats. There were 60 or 70 cats in the junkyard, with some hiding under big equipment. These were feral cats who did not trust humans. They moved a cart with a machine on it and found 3 kittens and their mama. First, they got the mama out and then the kittens. Someone handed Candice a kitten, and at that moment, she decided she was not going to let go of it, no matter what. The kitten bit her about 8 or 9 times and scratched her. She was bleeding, did not know what to do, but she did not let go. The kitten was dirty, covered in fleas with eyes that were swollen shut. 

She called her husband (then fiancé) and asked him to clean out the storage shed and set it up for the kitten to stay, as she already had three cats of her own in her house. The next day she took the kitten to the vet. Not knowing much about disease transfer at the time, she was worried she may have gotten something from the kitten or the kitten may have rabies. Her vet explained how they test for rabies (they have to remove the cat’s head), so Candice immediately decided testing would not be happening--and she would take her chances.

Even though she got bitten and scratched, she joined this cause wholeheartedly and went back and kept going back. She realized she needed to inform others to get their help and to find placement for these cats, so she posted about what she was doing on social media. More people joined her and provided donations of money, dog cages and supplies.

She took the rescued cats and kittens to the humane society to have them spayed/neutered for $40 until she found another place to spay/neuter and test them for $60. She started taking pictures and writing bios to help find homes for the cats. $850 was raised on Go Fund Me and any money she received from placing cats was used to rescue more cats. After they were  spayed/neutered, the ones who were still feral went to live and work at barns, at Lowe’s and others were relocated to another place where it was safe for them to live their lives.

Candice rescued 76 cats from that junkyard. KMSR tries to keep up with the junkyard and goes back annually to rescue the cats that have been dumped there. That shed at her house was converted from a supply shed to an insulated and heated cat house for 14 cats. That kitten who she rescued that first night, who bit and scratched her, is named Nahla, and Nahla
still lives with Candice and her family.