Next weekend, don’t be surprised if you look out your window and see teams of volunteers in bunny ears and reflective vests hiding Easter eggs in your neighbors’ yard.
Helpers from Starlight Strays Sanctuary will be hard at work with their Egg My Yard fundraiser.
Homeowners can order anywhere from 25 eggs for $35 to 150 eggs for $125 to be scattered throughout their yards the evening of Saturday, March 30, for kids to wake up to on Easter morning. A handwritten letter from the Easter Bunny is available for $5 and for an additional $15, you can get a painting made by foster cats complete with a paw print signature.
Starlight Strays Sanctuary volunteers will hide eggs in the neighborhoods of East Liberty, Shadyside, Oakland, Squirrel Hill and Greenfield and Pittsburgh suburbs Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills, Monroeville, Murrysville, Fox Chapel, Glenshaw, McCandless, Wexford and Mars. People who live outside those communities can email their address to contact@starlightstrays.com to see if they can accommodate you based on volunteer capacity and proximity to other deliveries.
Orders will be taken at www.starlightstrays.com until March 27 or until all spots are filled. They anticipate they can accommodate 75-100 orders. Orders can only be placed by the homeowner, or someone who has permission and a signature of the homeowner. Orders will be confirmed on receipt and again two days before delivery.
The Penn Hills-based 501(c)(3) organization was founded in November by veterinary professionals Chandler Scull, her sibling, Corey Brooks, and partner, Daniel McNally. Its mission is to reduce cat overpopulation through trap-neuter-return practices, provide veterinary care and help cats with unique needs.
Scull has a special place in her heart for special needs cats, particularly those with cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition in which the kitten’s brain does not finish growing due to an infection in the mother cat. These cats are often known as “wobbly cats” because of how they walk.
Scull’s 2½-year-old cat, Pumpkin Roll, was the inspiration for the rescue. Scull took her into care when she was 7 days old, bottle-fed and cared for her.
“She is my heart cat, the love of my life and soulmate — a weird little kiddo who is an inspiration to all rescue kitties,” she said.
Pumpkin Roll has been an advocate for cats with the condition, even traveling to Florida with Scull for a conference focused on it.
In addition to Pumpkin Roll, Scull owns 14 cats and a dog who loves kittens and cats so much that she mothers them! Pet cats are kept separate from foster cats.
The sanctuary currently has 12 cats in its care and plans to add more in the days and months to come. While they don’t accept owner surrenders, Scull says most of the cats seem to find their way to them. One time she was camping and two kittens showed up at the camp ground, clearly homeless.
“The universe and cat distribution system work in mysterious ways,” Scull said.
Many of the cats will remain in the care of the sanctuary as they are “unadoptable” — too shy, aggressive or with ongoing medical conditions that are very challenging. Those that are eligible for adoption will be listed on Petfinder through a link on the sanctuary’s website, www.starlightstrays.com. Scull anticipates that they will have cats available for adoption by the end of the month.
This is not the first time that she has participated in an “Easter egging,” but the first time the sanctuary has done it.
“We did one a couple of years ago for a rescue organization that has since disbanded and it was a huge success,” Scull said.
Teams of four — a driver, a navigator and two “eggers” — visit each neighborhood between 7 p.m. and midnight March 30. Scull, Brooks and McNally will prepare the eggs, letters and cards as well as a pre-planned route for delivery. Anyone who wants to donate their empty eggs back to the sanctuary is able to do so. The team will pick them up after Easter.
Scull wants to keep the organization a “manageable size.” They will add fosters when needed. However, their focus is to keep cats with their owners whenever possible.
They aim for community collaboration and engagement with veterinary clinics, local business and government entities to make a lasting impact on feline welfare. For more information visit starlightstrays.com.
Abby Kirkland (abbykirkland77@gmail.com) is a freelance writer who lives in Mt. Lebanon.
First Published: March 14, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: March 14, 2024, 7:26 p.m.
