The Goathouse Refuge in Pittsboro is known for its surplus of cats, roaming cage free throughout the property. The center takes in and cares for unwanted strays who have nowhere else to go. But the nonprofit is set for some changes.
A new initiative will support aging cats as they live out the remainder of their lives, and the Refuge will offer different ways visitors can spend their time on the property to help fund those efforts.
Presently, the Goathouse Refuge is a quaint, remote 18-acre property with a friendly kitty around every corner. The center houses around 150 cats as well as dogs, goats, and chickens.
Siglinda Scarpa founded The Goathouse Refuge in 2007 and has been working as a passionate animal rights activist ever since.
“People learned that I loved animals, so they started throwing animals here,” Scarpa says. “Pretty soon, I had 30 cats in my studio and I needed help. One of my customers came one morning [while] I was cleaning cat litter, and she said, ‘Do you need help?’ So, she was coming every morning to help me out with the cats. She said, ‘You know, we should become a nonprofit.’”
The organization takes cats of all ages; however, the new initiative will make aging cats the forefront of the Refuge’s mission.
Scarpa says the center will focus on finding homes for older cats or providing them with a home at The Goathouse Refuge.
“You know, everybody wants kittens,” she says. “They throw away the old cats and they want a kitten. And I will not give a cat to somebody that throws away an old cat or an old dog.”
The 82-year-old, Italian woman is also a successful artist, focusing on ceramics. She sells her pottery in a window filled room on the first floor of her house. Some of her more notable pieces are large mugs with feline faces.
Siglinda’s well-known cat mugs.
Scarpa has been building her pottery collection to sell in support of the non-profit.
“I can express the deepest things in me with my work,” she says. “I cannot express it in words. I did write some poems that are on my website. Not many but I have to find another way to express my feelings and who I am.”
Visitors can anticipate some changes to their experience at The Goathouse besides the new initiative. Scarpa says she will be selling five and a half acres of land to raise money. She will also implement changes to bring in more to visitors.
Brian Ceccarelli is a volunteer at the Refuge while working as a software engineer. He says he met Scarpa after bringing a feral cat who attacked him to the refuge for her to tame.
Brian Ceccarelli
“I ended up in urgent care with a big swollen hand,” he describes. “That was terrible. And so I needed a cat whisperer. She settled down Zeus and said, well, who better cat whisper than Siglinda? So we took Zeus to Siglinda. Zeus is probably roaming around here somewhere.”
Ceccarelli has been working to bring The Goathouse’s internet up to date. He hopes to work to add wi-fi to the entire area and improve the website. He says these changes will hopefully allow the Refuge to evolve into a self-sustaining business in the future.
“The Goathouse is at an inflection point and the donations have to increase to keep this thing going,” says Ceccarelli. “The right people are here now to do this, and the technology is there now to make it happen. So, my wish is that people who care for cats would find it in their hearts to come out here and volunteer or even to give to the Goathouse. It’s worth it.”
Susan Brinkley Clayton has been a volunteer with The Goathouse for the last 15 years. She says since her first visit years ago, she’s been drawn to the property and animals.
Susan Brinkley Clayton greets visitors coming to the Art Gallery with information and work samples.
“It’s just a very unique setting,” says Clayton. “The grounds are so peaceful and the cats just all have so many different personalities. They’re not kept in cages. They can come and go as they please. So, it’s a great way to de-stress. It’s a great way to volunteer, help make a difference, help find homes.”
As a volunteer, she has a variety of different tasks.
Clayton says, “We have staff on site that take care of the cats on a daily basis, but the volunteers are the ones that are here to help, you know, greet adopters, help them find their cats, answer questions. We do virtual home visits, we get out in the community.”
As Scarpa ages, she says she wants to find more permanent and secure solutions for the Refuge and the animals in it. That means changes in the upcoming future regarding funding and management.
“I hope that this is gonna be a place of peace and tranquility also for people,” says Scarpa. “They can come over and read a book. We will have a library here. They can relax in the garden, read a book, and do meditation at the pond. We have a beautiful little pond. I’m gonna put chairs and hammocks. So, they’re going to relax and just find themselves.”
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