By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
     You won’t find any fur coats in the new Kitty Korner Thrift and Treasures store at 54 York Street in Kennebunk. The Safe Haven Humane Society, a small Kennebunk based group of volunteers caring for sick or stray cats in York County, opened the store last wee. All of the store’s proceeds will be used by Safe Haven to help carryout its “No Kill” message to feline owners.
    Before leasing the shop, all of Safe Haven’s fundraising was achieved through yard sales.
     “We killed ourselves,” she said. “It’s unbelievable how much work it is.”
    The thrift shop is full of donations from residents and businesses varying from clothing to pottery and other gifts, all for sale to benefit Safe Haven’s spay / neuter and adoption programs. There will also be several cats available for adoption at the store, as “foster parents” can bring them in while they volunteer their time.
    “We want quality goods,” McKay said. “We really want to sell gift shop items, but with thrift shop prices.”
     Bobby Mescavege founded the group six years ago, and originally envisioned Safe Haven as a large, “state-of-the-art” animal shelter, however, it wasn’t until after Mescavege registered the organization as a 501(c)3 with the state that volunteers Joyce McKay and Laurie Divisano took a different approach to achieving Safe Haven’s goals.
    Safe Haven, rather than placing animals in a single location, works with various “foster parents” to take in stray or sick cats until they find a suitable home, McKay said.
    “We tried to build on the ideas of what Safe Haven was supposed to be,” said Divisano, who now serves as treasurer of the group.
     “If we had lots of money it would be great, but this seems to work too,” McKay said.
    The pair has worked with Safe Haven since 2004 to expand the organization to a network of more than 30 unpaid volunteers.
    “We couldn’t do it without the community help,” McKay said.
    McKay said the goal of the group is simple; “Life is very precious, and we’re going to do as much as we can to help.”
    Last year the group accepted 160 cats and arranged for 130 to be adopted, a record high for the group, which saved 31 cats in 2006, 7 in 2005 and only 3 in 2004 McKay said.
    “It’s just so exciting to see the growth,” she said.
    McKay said Safe Haven spays and neuters all cats in their program and often works with pet owners who cannot afford the surgery.
    “People are getting used to the fact that they can’t let their cat reproduce,” McKay said.
    McKay said the demand for spay / neuter programs for low income pet owners such as Maine’s “Help! Fix ME” is so high that they often cannot obtain enough funding.
    “We ran out of money last week,” said Sharon Secovich, who spearheaded “Help! Fix ME” state’s sponsorship.
    Secovich said she believed the high cost of the surgery was a leading factor in a pet owners’ decision to not spay or neuter their pet.
    Divisano said Safe Haven’s veterinarian bill was more than $18,000 last year.
    Safe Haven brings all cats to Mann Memorial Veterinary Clinic on Route 1 in Kennebunk, where it costs $75 to neuter and $125 to spay a cat.
    Veterinarian Chris Angellos of the Mann Memorial clinic said he sees about five cats a week from Safe Haven.
    “More and more organizations are moving towards the ‘No Kill’ philosophy,” he said. “We diagnose the cats and treat them, but it’s the ‘foster parents’ at Safe Haven who take them home. Their level of dedication is remarkable.”
    “The veterinarians have made this all possible,” McKay said.
    McKay said Safe Haven also takes in cats with feline leukemia and AIDS, which can live up to a year with the disease.
    “They deserve the chance,” she said.
    Angellos said taking care of a cat diagnosed with feline leukemia or AIDS often involves a great deal of time on the owner’s part, which can include bottle feeding and administering a variety of medicines into their diets.
    Safe Haven endorses a “No Kill” policy, which McKay said separates them from larger shelters who have to worry about space.
    “‘No Kill’ is very possible,” she said.
    The Kitty Korner Thrift and Treasures store will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Donations can be made during store hours or on Tuesdays, between noon and 3  p.m. For more information on Safe Haven and how to donate call the store 985-3550 or visit their Web site www.SafeHavenHumanSociety.org.
    To contact Nate Jones call 282-4337, ext. 233 or email news@kennebunkpost.com.