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02/10/2023 08:10 AMHow do you turn a frightened, feral cat into a friendly, adoptable kitty? Lori Brignola waves a magic wand. Or, in this case, a purple wand.
That’s one of the tricks Lori uses on the way to patiently socializing particularly skittish feline rescues, including some feral cats previously not touched by humans. The transformation helps them to find adoptive homes through the nonprofit Branford Compassion Club (BCC).
“Some of them have never been around humans, so we are the ones that start that trust process. Personally, one of my favorite things to do is work with some of the most challenging ones,” says Lori.
Lori’s road to gaining a cat’s trust really does start with that purple wand.
“Most of these very feral cats are not ready to be touched yet. We reach out to them with the wand so we’re several feet back from them. And then, we move up closer and closer, and we sit with them for hours and really just try to spend enough time with them. It’s all about patience and love.”
Lori’s latest success story is Noah, a large, furry, gray tiger who came to BCC without previous human contact. Now, Noah’s ready for adoption.
“He was not touchable. And now, he’s so friendly and so loving. When you see that transformation, it’s incredible. It’s very rewarding.”
“I love working with the challenging ones because they make the biggest turnaround. When you see a cat like Noah, that maybe would never have been able to be touched without our volunteers really spending that time with him, it makes such a difference.”
Located in North Branford, BCC is now in its 26th year. A BCC volunteer of 10 years and BCC board member of three years, Lori was appointed vice president of the BCC board in January.
Among her roles, Lori serves on BCC’s communications committee, which includes working with media outlets like I-Heart radio to post news of cats and kittens waiting to be adopted.
“She brings young leadership and an optimistic vision for the organization,” says Eunice Lasala, BCC founder. “We do have many extraordinary volunteers, and Lori is one of these.”
Lori says it’s a privilege to learn from those who’ve led the charge for BCC.
“I have had the pleasure of working with some of our founders, such as Eunice and Marilyn [Kennedy], and I have had the privilege of learning from them; and I’m just very happy to continue that work with them. Eunice and Marilyn have a long list of accomplishments. They say animal rescue is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. They really embody that, and it’s something that I strongly agree with.”
Board members work hard to help keep BCC funded through fundraisers, donations, contributions, and grants. BCC accepts donations online at branfordcompassionclub.org
In addition to providing routine medical interventions and assistance, BCC also assists felines in need of urgent medical care through local veterinary partnerships.
“The beginning of this year, we got hit very hard with several medical emergencies,” said Lori. “We took in a little girl, Panda, who we heard about. Her tail was taken off, and we understood she could be in pain. So we brought her in immediately to the vet, and they were able to give her some pain medication and take care of her. We see some really tough situations like that. We spend thousands of dollars just in emergency needs that come in.”
Panda’s currently recovering in the shelter’s quiet room and is doing very well. BCC posts news and updates of striking stories like Panda’s at its Facebook page.
Finding BCC
In 2013, Lori, a Madison resident, was looking for a volunteer opportunity and visited BCC’s shelter at 2037 Foxon Road in North Branford.
“I’ve been a huge animal lover all my life,” says Lori. “I think when I came here, it just felt like home. It just felt like someplace where I knew I wanted to help make a difference.”
She started by providing direct care, learning the ropes of cleaning and feeding, then quickly graduated to providing wet foods and medication. Soon, Lori was designated a shift leader, overseeing volunteers providing direct care.
BCC has one hired employee, a shelter manager, to handle day-to-day operations. BCC recently hired its newest shelter manager, Archie Crouse.
Keeping BCC’s roster of about 65 felines comfortably awaiting adoption requires a small army of volunteers working two shifts per day, mornings and afternoons. Twice a week, Lori is among the ranks. She serves as a direct care shift leader on Saturday afternoons and a direct care volunteer on Thursday nights.
Some kittens and cats are only in the shelter for a short time, but BCC will house felines until they find a forever home. Lori points out a beautiful tabby curled up in a comfy spot in the shelter’s common room.
“Jersey Girl has been here for about three years. She has free reign of the whole shelter, and she’s well taken care of, so she’s happy. But she would probably love that one-on-one attention they receive in getting a home.”
Lori has three cats at home, including two adopted through BCC, Jax and Mila.
“My latest is Jax. One day, I was here working late, and I was playing with him, and he curled up on my lap [and] just started purring and really wouldn’t move. At that point, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ I called out to the shelter manager across the room, ‘This cat is probably going to come home with me tonight!’”
Currently, adoptions are taking place by appointment. Prospective adopters can download a form from the website. Adoption requests are then reviewed for BCC approval.
“We always, always need more adopters,” says Lori. “Kittens can move through pretty quickly; a nice lap cat can move along pretty quickly. But some of the longer reigning ones, the ones that are not necessarily a lap cat but could be friendly or the ones that are not as affectionate and maybe aren’t going to run up to you, those are always the cats that have been with us the longest that we would really love to get adopted.”
That being said, it’s sometimes hard to say goodbye.
“Some of them have been with us for years. Our volunteers, including myself, have spent hours and hours with these cats, and we love them. They’re our family. We had a couple cats leave in December that were here for several years, and myself and some of our volunteers were teary-eyed. The day that they leave, you’re so happy, but you’re also going to miss them.”
Fostering for BCC
In addition to always needing more adopters and volunteers, “...we always need fosters,” Lori adds.
Helping to temporarily care for BCC cats or kittens at home can be an ideal way to volunteer.
“If you only have a few months to give, fostering is really fun and rewarding and challenging. Our team will walk someone through it if they haven’t done it before.”
Lori has volunteered to foster kittens, including those that can pose a challenge.
“I fostered a kitten that was very difficult and challenging. I had him over the course of about two months. With a lot of patience and love, he just became the sweetest thing.”
Visit branfordcompassionclub.org for more information, to make an online donation, or to contribute wish-list items which can be ordered via Chewy.com or Amazon.com and direct-shipped to BCC.