Mount Sinai NY
8-21-2026 7:18am

Loving Paws Faces Urgent Need for Cat Food as Financial Strain Threatens Support for Suffolk County Colonies

Loving Paws Faces Urgent Need for Cat Food as Financial Strain Threatens Support for Suffolk County Colonies

By Samantha Vogel | Long Island Daily News

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — For more than two decades, Loving Paws, Inc. has worked to care for cats in need across Long Island. Now, as food costs continue to rise and the needs of the animals remain constant, the organization is asking the community for help supporting the colonies that depend on its caregivers every day.

Loriann Macli, founder of Loving Paws, Inc., has dedicated approximately 24 years to helping cats and supporting colonies where animals depend on consistent feeding, fresh water, shelter and intervention when they become sick or injured.

Loving Paws currently supports cat colonies in Medford, Ronkonkoma and Selden.

Caring for these colonies is a daily commitment. The cats need to be fed regardless of the weather or circumstances, and when an animal becomes sick or injured, volunteers must often coordinate trapping and other assistance to get the cat the care it needs.

A Community of Caregivers

Macli is grateful for the people who have stepped forward to help Loving Paws continue its work.

Ashley Daoud, Victoria Gambardella, Joe Pecorella, Laura Christensen and Jen have been helping with feeding and caring for the colonies, providing the consistent support necessary to make sure the cats are not forgotten.

Kathleen Mott has been helping as a trapper while also assisting with feeding. She is currently working to capture another sick cat so the animal can receive the help it needs.

Others within Long Island’s animal rescue community have also offered their assistance.

Lisa Jaeger of Jaeger’s Run has helped with feeding, assisted Loving Paws in securing a trapper and stepped in to help when a cat named Taco became very sick.

Marilyn Gales of Happy Cat has also offered assistance with the sick cat that caregivers are still working to capture and help.

Each person who steps forward plays a role in keeping these colonies going.

Community cat care involves far more than simply leaving out a bowl of food. Caregivers must provide food and fresh water, monitor colonies for sick or injured animals, maintain shelters, coordinate trapping when necessary and work together to get vulnerable cats the assistance they need.

For Loving Paws, that network of support has become especially important during a difficult period.

Rising Costs, Personal Loss and Continuing Need

The organization has faced significant challenges, including lost income, the heartbreaking loss of Loriann’s partner, Mike, who passed away, and the loss of food grants that previously helped offset the cost of feeding the cats.

Despite those setbacks and the grief that accompanies such a personal loss, the colonies still need to be cared for every single day.

One of Loving Paws’ most urgent needs is wet and dry cat food.

For people caring for community cats, food is not an occasional expense. It is needed seven days a week, throughout the year. When an organization is helping multiple colonies, those costs can quickly become overwhelming.

Many of these cats have nowhere else to go. They depend on their caregivers — and on the generosity of the community — for their basic needs and survival.

Every bag of food helps. Every can of food matters. Every donation makes a difference.

Food donations, monetary contributions, gift cards and even simply sharing Loving Paws’ story can help the organization continue its work.

How to Help Loving Paws, Inc.

Members of the community who would like to support Loving Paws and the cats in its care can contribute in several ways:

  • PayPal: paypal.me/lovingpawsinc
  • Venmo: @lovingpawsinc
  • Cash App: $LovingPawsInc
  • Zelle: lovingpawsinc1@gmail.com
  • Amazon Food List: Available through Loving Paws
  • Walmart Registry for Good: Available through Loving Paws
  • Chewy Wishlist: Available through Loving Paws
  • Donorbox: Loving Paws, Inc.

Chewy gift cards are also greatly needed because they allow Loving Paws to purchase food quickly and direct it to the colonies where it is needed most.

Every Person Makes a Difference

The work being done by Loving Paws is also a reminder that community animal rescue rarely rests on the shoulders of one person.

It takes the person who fills the food bowls, the volunteer who checks on a colony, the trapper who spends hours trying to safely capture a sick cat, the person who purchases a case of food from a wishlist and the community member who simply shares a request for help so that it reaches someone who can contribute.

Ashley Daoud, Victoria Gambardella, Joe Pecorella, Laura Christensen, Jen, Kathleen Mott, Lisa Jaeger and Marilyn Gales are among those helping make sure these cats are not forgotten.

Their efforts, along with the support of donors and members of the community, allow the work to continue.

After approximately 24 years of helping cats, Macli and Loving Paws remain committed to caring for animals that might otherwise have no one looking out for them.

But they cannot do it alone.

As Loving Paws continues supporting colonies in Medford, Ronkonkoma and Selden, every donation, food order, gift card and share can help ease the burden on the people who are out there feeding and caring for these cats every single day.

For the cats waiting at those colonies for their next meal, that kindness can mean everything.

Every person who steps in makes a difference.

More News from Lake Grove
1
I'm interested
I disagree with this
This is unverified
Spam
Offensive