Paula Murdock Briggs, founder of Little Angels Animal Sanctuary, and her partners, Jena Krauth and Loren Laurito, began rescuing and rehoming cats in 2008 and operate with no grants or government funds.

Merry Williams, who works with Briggs at the Cat & Thrift Obsessed thrift store in Sherman, recently completed the legal requirements and launched Small Companion Advocacy Team. Along with vice president, Diane Aquila, she focuses on rescuing and facilitating the adoption of rabbits, hamsters and gerbils.

The thrift store, which had its grand opening on July 10, got off to a rather slow start because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was created as a source of funding, and it offers something for everyone, Williams said.

“Everything we sell here, 100% of it, except for utilities, goes to the animals,” Briggs said. “We’re hoping by next year, we can actually have a sign.”

All of the proceeds from sales at the Cat And Thrift Obsessed store in Sherman go to rescue and rehome cats and other small animals throughout Chautauqua County.

Williams noted that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the store has done well.

“A lot of people don’t realize we are here yet,” Williams said. “We’re doing well, but a lot of it is based on online sales.”

Until the store opened, many of the expenses involved in rescuing, providing veterinary care and sheltering feral cats and small animals was born primarily by the founders.

“In the past two years, we’ve spent $78,000 fixing cats,” Briggs said. “We are the only rescue in Chautauqua County that actively traps.”

It all started with a rabbit.

“Loren (Laurito) and I brought home a bunny one day and we did not know what to do with it,” Briggs said, “so we started a shelter.”

She now has a 14-foot by 40-foot insulated, indoor/outdoor “catio” on her property where she cares for the animals while they await rehoming.

The numbers are staggering. Since March 1, Briggs said, they have rehomed 235 cats. She and her co-workers serve the Buffalo area, as well as Jamestown, Sherman, and Mayville. If anyone wants to meet a rescue cat, they can make an appointment at the adoption center in Mayville or Lakewood.

Little Angels Animal Sanctuary and the Small Companion Advocacy Team will occasionally accept a surrendered animal, but their main focus is on feral and abandoned animals, Briggs said.

“We will not leave an animal in a dangerous situation,” Williams said. ” When people let loose a domestic bunny, it cannot survie in the wild.”

Briggs said she is drawn to feral cats.

“The first time you pick up a feral cat and it purrs, it’s incredible,” she said.

Briggs takes the cats for spaying or neutering and veterinary care every Wednesday.

Williams noted that while the regular adoption fee is $80 for adult cats and $100 for kittens, they do not charge a rehoming fee for the feral cats if they are going to barns. However, those receiving the cats, those adopting them must promise to feed them, not just allow them to hunt for their food.

Williams said there would be a big hole in rescue operations in the area if Briggs stopped doing what she’s been doing.

“You don’t choose rescue, rescue chooses you,” she said. “Once you’re in rescue, you can’t really quit.”

Briggs said the Westfield Stray Cat Rescue and Thrifty Kitty Store in Westfield greatly inspired them and helped them get going.

“Those ladies there have been very good to us,” she said. “They have a shelter there, though.”

Briggs said she would love to see a shelter in Sherman as well.

“We want a municipal shelter. That would be my personal dream,” she said.

Although that dream may be a ways off, the village of Sherman has had some involvement in a trap/spay or neuter/treat/release program. The program was initiated in the fall of 2019, and received a good response from the community.

Briggs said they got started with grant money from the village, then each time they adopted out a cat, they used that money to keep the program going.

“The people in Sherman really did step up and help,” she said.

Reciprocally, Briggs and Williams hope that the thrift store can be beneficial to the community.

“People are on hard times,” Williams said. “We have kids come in who have nothing, and we tell them to fill up a bag with clothes. We are always willing to help locals who are struggling.”

The thrift store will have two events this fall, after which it may close until March. On Friday and Saturday, there will be a Halloween and Thanksgiving sale, and all coats and boots will be $3, Briggs and Williams said. There will be a Black Friday sale on Nov. 27 and a close out sale on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28.