“An older woman who lives alone with a large number of cats, to which she is thought to be obsessively devoted,” says the Oxford Dictionary on what defines a cat lady.
Kendra Daub may not be older nor may she live alone, but she certainly checks the boxes for possessing a large number of cats and being obsessively devoted to them. And her more than 30 years of experience with cats proves she’s honed this title.
“I used to deny that I was a crazy cat lady, but there’s no denying it. How can I?” she asks.
Daub, getting her first official pet cat at age 20, now runs her own nonprofit, Cocoa Kitties, a Hershey-based cat rescue dedicated to rescuing cats in the local area and rehoming them.
“As a child, I was not allowed to have pets, but my grandparents had cats, and I always loved them. I guess I was just drawn to them, and as a kid, I would find cats in places and try to help them,” she says. “After rescuing my first cat … we rescued three cats from a hoarding situation. ... Then I just started rescuing them on my own and paying everything out of pocket … and it went from there.”
Photography By Noel Funk
Daub, who grew up in the Central Pennsylvania area, says after rescuing cats (and dogs—she wants to make it clear she’s a lover of all animals, frogs, snakes, anything), she talked with Operation Paws for Homes (OPH), a Virginia-based rescue, about adding a “cat side” to their organization, after she had been fostering dogs with them since 2010.
“Cats were still finding us, and we were still spending a lot of money on cats … so I started that and was with them from 2017 to 2022, but I wanted to be more local. OPH was pulling cats from shelters down south, and I wanted to help here,” Daub says.
Hence, Cocoa Kitties was born.
Photography By Noel Funk
“I had a lot of practice through OPH, so I had a great start,” she says. “June 8, 2022, was when Cocoa Kitties became official … and we’ve saved more than 800 cats since opening.”
Daub says on average she and her team of volunteers have saved roughly 300 local cats per year, and that amount is growing.
“Where would these guys go if we weren’t here? I can tell you that I probably get three to four calls at least every single day that are forwarded from the Humane Society because they can’t take any more animals. It’s crazy,” she says. “You keep thinking you’re getting somewhere, and it’s more and more every year.”
Cocoa Kitties finds cats through a variety of ways— from people messaging for places taking rescue cats, to people surrendering cats, to finding cats outside, alongside highways or in abandoned hotels, even.
After Cocoa Kitties rescues a cat, they quarantine it, get it up to date on vet care and prepare the cat to go to a volunteer’s foster home. They also neuter/spay when it’s old enough and socialize the cat to embrace people and other pets—and they work their magic entirely off of donations.
“Everything is donated, and if it’s not, the money is donated for us to purchase it. We’ll post on Facebook or people will send things through our Amazon Wish List or Chewy Wish List,” Daub says. “We’ve done events too … like yoga with cats, the parade, different vendor shows, the Hershey Bears. … We go anywhere we can just to get our name out there, and that’s helpful to get the adoptions, volunteers and funds to keep us going.”
The community support since opening the rescue has been amazing, Daub says and she’s grateful people recognize the continuing problem of feral/stray cats in the area and want to help. Without her volunteers and family members, she adds, she couldn't do what she does, and she says she can't thank them enough for their "endless support."
“It’s like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. … Sometimes you just don’t have the bandwidth to help anymore, but somebody else isn’t helping, so you gotta rally and do it,” she says. “But to see the change … look at this cat right here. This guy’s a mess, right? When he leaves here, he’s going to be beautiful and happy … and to see those happy little kitties going into those happy families … it’s all worth it.”
Photography By Noel Funk
She says some of the cats with Cocoa Kitties also go to the “Cat House,” which is her personal foster space that includes a jungle of perches, scratching posts and a catio. Cats here are usually adult cats who were rescued into Cocoa Kitties as adults or kittens who have aged out of the volunteers’ foster’s homes.
Daub is also involved with Cocoa Kitties’ partnership, Derry Township Community Cats (DTCC), the township’s Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program that was started more than a decade ago to ensure feral cats can’t continue to reproduce in the community.
According to Daub, two cats and their offspring left unneutered can produce up to 450,000 cats in seven years, and a “large percentage of those cats suffer and die.”
Photography By Noel Funk
“People don’t see it’s happening, so they don’t think about it, but it’s not a cat problem. It’s a people problem,” she says. “There will always be a need.” DTCC’s program will TNR cats in Derry Township at no cost, and anyone looking to help, can start by seeing if their own community has a TNR program or by joining DTCC’s as a volunteer.
As far as those looking to help with Cocoa Kitties, Daub says of course, you can volunteer or donate, but what’s even better? Adoption.
“There’s so many cats put down every single day. … With breeding cats, we all want those special, beautiful breeds, but you can find them in rescues too,” she says. “These guys all have awesome personalities, and you’re gonna find a kitty that fits into your life. You don’t have to buy one.”
Daub says she’s optimistic and excited for Cocoa Kitties’ future, which includes plans to potentially open a “cat lounge,” partner with local artists, work with other rescues and— above all—save more cats.
Photography By Noel Funk
“Part of my mission is not just to save cats but to be understanding and kind to people. I 100% want this to be run with kindness,” she says. “I don’t want to see suffering in the world at all. No suffering for cats or people or anything. I know that’s never gonna happen, but if I can just change the world around me or change my area, other people can change.”
Cocoa Kitties is this year’s nonprofit beneficiary at the 2024 Celebrate Women Event on November 14 at Excelsior in Lancaster.
For more information on Cocoa Kitties and how to adopt or volunteer, visit cocoakitties.org.
