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Gemini Farm Sanctuary ~ Rome, PA
A 501c3, Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Sanctuary
for domestic pets and farm animals in need.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Gandhi
As you read our stories and enjoy the photos, please feel free to contact us if you think you might be that special someone for a cat in our colony. We will consider adoptions on a case by case basis.
Danica came to us as an orphan bottle baby in 2014 and has been the light of my life ever since. We do not know what happened to her mom. Danni has her own ‘house’ that she goes to every night to eat and sleep. She even likes going under the covers when it is chilly out. In the morning when I let her out she often takes fifteen to twenty minutes just sitting in her house watching everyone. She reminds me of someone who hates to get up in the morning and can’t function until they have their coffer. No, we do not give Danni any coffee. There have been days that we let her out around 9 am and she never bothers to wake up till noon.
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Denny, known far and wide as “Rat Breath”, loves his job on the farm....killing rodents. He came to us as an abandoned kitten along with his two brothers, Kyle and Joey. Originally they were named after three NASCAR drivers. “Ratty” is more dog like in personality than many of his feline friends as he loves to go on walks, comes when called and in general is far less independent than many of the cats here. He loves people and loves the barn and can be found there much of the time. Of course in the winter months he goes out to hunt but spends a lot of time snoozing by the wood stove in the living room. A very ‘rough life’ for a kitty...NOT!
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Rover As in Range Rover. Rover, Yaris, Ranger and Ford were born here. Their mom “Vanna” was dumped out of a van and we were never able to prove who abandoned her. She was pregnant at the time. Vanna is no longer with us as she developed throat cancer....but the boys are still here. Ford has actually convinced a neighbor that he should live at their house and the neighbor has agreed.
This litter had wonderful personalities and should have been very adoptable...but no amount of advertising found them homes so they are living here as very happy farm cats.
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Peekaboo Blue! Blue is a semi feral that, as usual, came from another rescue who were unable to find a home for him because of his attitude. Blue now tolerates petting and does seek us out for attention, but he really isn’t adoptable. In this photo he is standing inside our donated feral cat release cage. The cage is used to hold ferals when they arrive on the farm. This allows them to be safe but also to watch what goes on at the farm. They become accustomed to the activity, learn that the barn means food and shelter and are usually ready to be released in a week to a month, depending on how quickly they settle in. While Blue looks like he is being held captive, the open door is actually just in front of his head. He is just being cute!
Blue got his name because he arrived in a blue cage.
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Tom is one of those cats that is often misunderstood. First of all, he looks pretty grumpy. Sometimes what you see is what you get. Other times what Gus wants is a scratch behind an ear. Sometimes he wants that scratch so bad he will reach out and grab you. But never forget when he no long wants a tickle behind the ear he is very quick to swat at you to tell you to leave. With that attitude he isn’t every going to find a home. He is a senior citizen cat that came from another cat rescue.
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Jace, along with his brother Jeb, came to us from another rescue because the two boys were not adoptable. They were older kittens when they came to the rescue and extremely shy. Strangers terrified them and there was just no hope of adoptions....so they are now permanent residents of the sanctuary. As you can see, at the moment of this photo Jace was about as relaxed and happy as a cat can be.
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Kyle is Ratty’s brother. He too loves the barn and woods and is always out prowling his territory in nice weather. However, Kyle is even more of a wood stove lover than Ratty in winter weather and you can find him lounging in the living room most of the winter months. It is said that cats are valuable working members of a farm and Kyle is clearly a part time worker.
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Connie Cat has been with us a very long time and I am pretty sure she is between ten and thirteen years old. She is a true feral who has never allowed to to get close to her until the last few months. She learned early on that the house was a better place than the barn in the winter but usually preferred the barn to avoid human contact. Old age has changed her mind. Connie was one of the first cats I took in from another rescue. I guess you could say she made the sanctuary official.
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Ranger is another Vanna kitten. Of course they are no longer kittens and are about nine years old....but we still call them kittens. He is a sweet guy but prefers roaming the pastures and barn yard to hanging out in the house. In the winter, the house is just fine. He is yet another cat that was highly adoptable as a kitten but no one wanted him.
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Tinkle is her name, and unfortunately, her name fits her. She lost her home and family because she really doesn’t like the litter box. Fortunately for us, she has access to outside and will go potty outside. Tinkle is affectionate, easy to live with and if she had only learned to use a litter box she would have stayed in her home. Cats that ‘miss’ the litter box almost always get taken to shelters or abandoned in the country. Please read the information at the link to learn all the things you can do to make sure your cat likes it’s litter box. http://bestfriends.org/resources/cat-not-using-litter-box
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Pinky is on the left and Smudge is on the right.
Pinky and his sister Blacky came to live with us about ten years ago. They were two unwanted kittens that someone found. Their names came from their nose color and not the color of their coats. Poor Blacky developed kidney failure and we had to put her to sleep. Pinky is doing very well and is another cat that seems to think that playing jokes on other cats is a fun thing to do. He loves stalking an unsuspecting cat, jumping at them, and then running off. If cats could giggle, Blacky would be giggling most of the time.
Update: We lost Pinky in April 2017
Smudge is a semi-feral who was rescued by another rescue group and brought to the farm because he really isn’t adaptable. He tolerates humans and will allow me to medicate him if he has a problem, but there is never a time that he really wants to be with people. All the cats get canned food at night and Smudge is starting to come out of his shell to meow and run in circles around me to get me to hurry up and get the food in the dish. Nothing like a plate of stinky canned food to get a cat to appreciate you! Of course, once the food is served, he abandons me.
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Nancy came to us pregnant about five years ago. She is a very sweet, but independent, bobtailed kitty. Her kittens Nelson, Big Sis and Little Sis remained at the farm as there were no adopters interested in them.
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Front row from left to right is Little Bit and Nelson.
Second row from left to right is Mr. Grumpy and Mary.
On the couch from left to right is Dimes and Mazzie
The Wobblies
These three have a condition called Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH) that causes balance issues. The condition happens if the kitten’s mom is exposed to disease, nutritional deficiency or trauma during pregnancy. winter Wendy and Willie are 3 of five other kittens that we have with this problem. The condition is not contagious and will not get worse. CH kitties must be strictly indoor kitties and need a safe environment away from dogs or children that might chase or accidentally frighten them. They will panic when frightened and then are less coordinated than when they are calm. Their capacity for love and devotion is just amazing.
Whimsy is another one of the wobblies. She is minimally affected and loves life to its fullest. Her bob tail, long hair and adorable face make her a real favorite with farm visitors. She also loves hanging out in a cat tree on the catio to enjoy fresh air without the threats of the outside world.
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Melody has been with us for at least ten years. She is a beautiful torti Persian and at first glance most that visit the farm wonder why she has not been adopted. Melody has a mind of her own. She hates being forced to remain inside, is not fond of a litter box and has no interest in cuddling. In fact, until last year, she demanded she be allowed to live in the barn and guarded the barn against all intruders. Melody taught us that cats do have individual personalities and not all cats are happy living a life of luxury and safety inside the house. In her old age she has now decided that the house is ok…especially in the cold weather and we laugh at her attitude and antics as she shows the other cats that she is still the queen of the farm.
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One of the reasons we decided to make the farm a cat sanctuary is to provide a safe place for those cats that are not adoptable. Many that have lived here came because they were born to moms who raised with without human touch in hiding in the outside world. Their moms were thrown out or abandoned and because the kittens were not handled as babies, they want nothing to do with humans. Tinkerbell is one of those feral kittens who came here to live many years ago. She is a delicate sweet little girl but as shy and any cat can be. She runs at any suggestion she might be touched…so we adore her quietly from a distance. She lives mostly in the house but does enjoy sunning herself in the garden on warm summer days. Tinkerbell is slowly becoming one of the farm’s senior citizens and starting to slow down. She isn’t as quick to run and we are happy to see that.
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At fifteen, Nichols is one of the farm’s many senior citizens. At fifteen she tends to spend her days sleeping by the wood stove in the winter and on a soft cushion in the catio in the summer. We are not sure how much longer she will be with us but we certainly do love her.
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Abe and Abby are kittens from 2020. They were adorable kittens with personality plus and quickly got adopted. However, for some reason, they decided they didn’t want to use the litter box and started using the family beds. The family tried for months to solve the problem but with no luck. With tears and a sad goodbye they returned to Gemini Farm. Once back to the farm they once again had access to the outside and immediately started using the litter box when inside. But it was clear they wanted their outside time. This is a lesson learned. Some cats do not want to be inside only cats. We recommend cat families consider outside exercise areas for kitties. Ideal is a large fenced area but if that isn’t possible then a catio for exercise and fresh air is an alternative. Abe and Abby are happy and thriving at the farm and would be happy with a home that has a big fenced outside area to enjoy along with a cozy home.
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Tux is about ten years old and has been with us two years. His mom came on hard times and when she realized she had to place most of her cats, no one wanted Tux. So many older cats have no hope of finding a home and that is where Gemini Farm shines. We will always consider the older cats. In his former home Tux was an indoor outdoor cat and he fit perfectly into the Gemini Farm life style. So he is hanging out, visiting one neighbor regularly and living the life of a farm cat. As with all the cats on the farm, he is free to come into the house whenever he wants to. Tux is a big handsome cat and a perfect gentleman when he is allowed to live the life he wants.
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Say hi to Denny who is also known as “Rat Breath” He is a super barn cat who likes spending winters in the house next to the wood stove. A tough guy that doesn’t like the cold and a personality anyone could love as long as all cuddling is on Denny’s terms
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Say hi to Denny who is also known as “Rat Breath” He is a super barn cat who likes spending winters in the house next to the wood stove. A tough guy that doesn’t like the cold and a personality anyone could love as long as all cuddling is on Denny’s terms
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His story and age are a mystery. He was brought to the farm by a Good Samaritan. He had cuts and scraps all over his face, a missing eye and could just drag himself along. With good veterinary care all his wounds healed and he slowly was able to walk again. His eye, sadly, could not be saved. Pirate today is a happy healthy guy. Probably between five and seven years old and content to sleep next to me on the arm of my chair. We are so happy he joined the Gemini Farm gang
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One of the sweetest kitties in the colony
She came to the farm in the fall of 2020 because she was a very shy teen. She came from a stray and feral colony and had little contact with people. All she did was hide in her cage. We are happy to report she is slowly coming out of her shell and now lives back rubs and ear scratching. Just don’t try to pick her up because then she panics. She wants to cuddle so badly but she just isn’t quite brave enough
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This is Two. He has been a happy semi
Feral barn kitty for about eight years. We think he is about ten years old. He wasn’t happy about human touch when he came to the farm but likes a little attention now. Just don’t pick him up. He is a long hair and he just got back from the vet when he got a hair cut in this photograph.
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Huey is one of our special needs cats. He was supposed to have surgery seven months ago to correct structural issues in both hind legs however because of COVID his surgery has been delayed. Huey is one of the favorites with visitors on the farm. He lives attention. He does have one little quirk. He likes to bite noses!!
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