On May 28th, 2008, a group of concerned employees, volunteers, and donors attended a board meeting in an attempt to get information about recent radical changes in policy and staff. After collecting the names of those who attended the meeting, the board refused to answer any of the questions and left the building.

Following that incident, the majority of the volunteers and donors were turned away and denied access.

We believe that any volunteer or donor that questioned any change was banned from the shelter so as not to make public the changes.

At least 25 volunteers, sponsors, donors, and adopters have been banned since the end of May. Some of these people attempted to adopt cats in order to ensure their safety and a loving home, but were refused. There is a good chance some of these cats were euthanized rather than being adopted.

People with significantly more experience with and knowledge of the cats than the current staff have been turned away. Additionally, a source of free labor has been turned away at a time when it seems that the shelter has been having difficulty keeping its staffing levels.

Nick Calkins was a volunteer, sponsor and donor at the Hermitage until he, like many others, was banned from the premises in the spring and summer of 2008. Strangely, that hasn't stopped the Hermitage from continuing to solicit funds from him, however. Below are two letters they sent him this winter, his email response sent directly to the ED's personal email address, and their follow-up. It's a lengthy exchange, but well worth the time to see the pattern which appears.

*********** Hermitage Letter 1 *************
December 5, 2008

Dear Dawn & Nick,

The Hermitage would first like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of our cats and all of our efforts in taking optimal care of the kitties living in the Shelter. We appreciate your sponsorship of Harley until he was adopted out.

There have been some changes in personnel at the shelter this last year along with revamping and improving some of our programs. "Sponsor-a Cat" is one of those programs. In order to bring our computer records accurately up-to-date we are asking that you confirm the name(s) and the cat(s) you sponsor. The wonderful news is that in October and November many of our sponsored cats were adopted! Unfortunately, because of a computer glitch at the same time much of our computer data base was lost. There were notices sent out a month ago assigning new cats to sponsors whose cats had been adopted out. Many of these new assignments were also lost. Please include your current address and telephone number.

It would be an enormous help to us if you would contact us either by telephone - leaving the name of that cat that you sponsor on the message if we are unable to speak directly at (520)571-7839. Sending an email is a great way - hermitagecats@aol.com. Or write us at:
The Hermitage Cat Shelter
PO Box 13508
Tucson, AZ 85732

This would also be an optimal time to update your payments if you haven't already done so and please be specific. Once you confirm the name of the cat you are currently sponsoring, we will be able to send new pictures, keep you posted on their health condition and verify payment information.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to do our best work in maintaining the shelter while caring for and adopting out our lovable cats.

Regards,

Hermitage Staff & Kitties

********** Hermitage Letter 2 ****************************

Dear Dawn and Nick,

The Hermitage Cat Shelter would like to inform you that your sponsored kitty, Harley has recently been adopted, Harley was adopted from The Hermitage by a wonderful family. We assure you that he will be well cared for and happy,
This is part of our mission here at The Hermitage, to find our kitties loving homes.

You may have already received notice of the adoption. The computer system at The Hermitage has recently been updated and we lost some of our data and files, therefore, we are writing in order to be sure you were contacted.

--There is an insert with a cat photo, and a paragraph in bold--Hi, my name is Mumzy, and I came to the shelter some time ago. I have some medical problems which need constant care. The staff takes good care of me here, and I have many people and kitties to play with. Please sponsor me.

If you decide that you would like to sponsor a different cat, or more than one, please let us know. We have other cats who would be thrilled to have you sponsor them.
The staff and cats very much appreciate your support of The Hermitage. Thank you.

Warm regards,
Mumzy

********* Nick's Response ********************

In response to a letter from the Hermitage, dated 05 December 2008 advising me of Harley's adoption and requesting information on any other cats I sponsor, I submit the following:
I am very pleased that Harley now has a home and people to love him; however, I was completely unaware that I was sponsoring Harley. The last cats I sponsored, before I was banned from the Hermitage in June 2008, were Kino, who was euthanized in June, and Wally, who I am informed was adopted in June. I received a letter about Kino's death but not about Wally's adoption.
I would be glad to sponsor Mumzy or another cat in need, provided that I am allowed to visit them. I understand that you do not need volunteers as before, but banning me from visiting the shelter was unduly harsh. I have been advised that you ordered my banishment because of my concurrent association with Casa De Los Gatos. If you were genuinely concerned about cats and their welfare, you should have been approving of my work with them. It is long past time for you to end your silly feud with the Casa organization.
If, in the future, you should change your mind, and allow me to visit The Hermitage, I will consider further donations and/or sponsorships. By the way, between January and June of 2008, I gave Anna Yoshino a total of six hundred dollars ($600) in cash donations. I expect a letter of acknowledgement from The Hermitage for these donations in the very near future. I remind you of this, as my information is that you and The Hermitage board members are grossly ignorant of IRS requirements for non-profit organizations.

Nick Calkins

** Hermitage Response, sent after Nick's email **********

March 2, 2009

Hello from your Hermitage Cat!

We haven't heard from you in a while and worry you've forgotten about the kitties at The Hermitage! Is everything okay? I've begun to think that maybe you don't care about me anymore. I'm doing just fine these days. I live a pretty good life here in the shelter staying in the "village area". I'm still pretty shy but I have friends among the cats.

I just want you to know how much your sponsorship means to me, Because of you I get the food and veterinary care I need each year--don't let me down.
--There is an insert of a photo another cat, labeled "Moses 2009"--
Love and purrs from your friend,

Moses

P.S. Remember, it only costs $20 a month to save the life of a kitty!
===============================================
Nick isn't the only former supporter who has been banned from the premises, but continues to receive donations requests, I'll be printing more this week.

Below is the unedited letter from Becky Zimmerman to the board about her experience about joining the ranks of the banned volunteers.

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I am writing this letter to warn you about the inappropriate and threatening behavior of one of your employees at the Hermitage Cat Shelter. On Thursday, September 17, 2008, I went to the Hermitage as usual to scoop, clean and cuddle. After I'd been there for about 45 minutes, I was told that Rosalie wanted to see me. I went back to the office, knocked on the door and was told to come in.  When I opened the door, Rosalie, Mary Jo and Paula were all sitting at their desks.  Rosalie looked up and said that the shelter was no longer using volunteers.  I was confused as I was not the only volunteer in the shelter that morning but I seemed to be the only one being singled out. She said she was sorry I had come in but they had tried to call me, and the phone number I had given them didn't work; the phone just rang and rang. When I protested this possibility and stated that it would have been nice if they had called because I come in from Vail, she just kept insisting that they had tried but got no response. I find it impossible to see how that could be accurate. I adopted two cats from the shelter in the past three and a half months, one on June 15th and one on July 10th. I wrote my phone number on the application form for both adoptions. I guess it’s possible that Rosalie forgot that after the first adoption, she called me, at the same number, to see how my new adoptee was doing.

As I was leaving the office I told Rosalie that it was the shelter’s loss that I would no longer be welcome. On the way back through the house to retrieve my water bottle and say goodbye to people I’ve been friendly with, I met another volunteer and told her what happened. Then I went to ask Debbie about a cat in ISO who I wanted to adopt because I have a good record with very shy cats.  She asked me to step into ISO for a second so she could get my phone number and update me on this cat’s progress.  Just as I was reaching for the door to leave ISO, Rosalie burst through the door and started screaming at me to get out.

She screamed "YOU ARE NEVER ALLOWED IN ISO.  NOW GET OUT!” Then she threatened, “I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT AND YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE WHEN I TOLD YOU.  GET OUT BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE."

I have never been subjected to such raving before, at anytime in my life, and I was shocked and shaken when I left. I wonder what would happen if I called the police to report Rosalie’s verbal assault. I also wonder how many others have been subjected to her tirades. And lastly, I wonder how long you, The Board, will allow this to continue. Maybe until you have a lawsuit on your hands?

Sincerely,
Becky Zimmerman

The excuses for not admitting volunteers to the shelter are becoming more and more inventive. I am publishing below, with permission, an exerpt from an email that Lori Milner sent to me. Due to work commitments, Lori had not been a frequent volunteer this spring, and did not know anything about the recent problems at the shelter when she arrived for her shift. She sent me this email before a group unhappy with the situation sent out a recent mailing to sponsors. I have not edited anything within this letter, just clipped off some personal comments at the top and bottom.
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When I turned up last weekend to volunteer there were hardly any cars in the parking lot but that's not unusual for summer months because it's so hot people don't come out to the shelter that often. When I got to the door there was a girl sitting on the patio, and the screen door was locked and the inside door shut (again, not unusual because of the heat, although when someone's on the patio the screen door is normally unlocked). The girl said she wasn't allowed in because she wasn't on the "approved volunteer list" and that someone had told her Rosalie would come out to talk to her. I don't know how long she sat there before I arrived. I rang the buzzer three times and no one answered the door although I could hear voices coming from inside. The other girl said people were in the front office and suggested I go to the window there and talk to them. I went over and Rosalie was there having a conversation with a few people. I interrupted them and said that I had come for my shift but couldn't get in. A girl sitting by the window said "The shelter's closed because some of the cats are having heat stress. We're putting ice in their water dishes." She finally got Rosalie's attention and Rosalie told me the same thing and that they weren't letting anyone in. "But, we'll call you" she said, not looking directly at me. I wondered if she even knew my name, but the other girl's reference to the "approved volunteer list" and the eerie silence left me thinking something was very wrong indeed but that I wasn't going to get anywhere debating with Rosalie, so the other girl and I left. Truth be told, it felt very hostile. I needed time to think it through and later that evening I found the Yahoo site was still operational so I posted on it. I received an email from Rosalie the following day which I responded to. She never answered

When volunteers Kathrina Albig and Stretch Frances arrived at the shelter today, they were both told that they had been banned. Kathrina had been a volunteer for 11 years. Stretch had also been a donor.

Today's first post is a letter that was sent from Carol Porta, a volunteer and donor, to the Hermitage Cat Shelter Board. Carol is one of those people who networks, and not only devoted her own time and money to the shelter, but convinced her employer to do so as well. At least until Executive Director Mary Jo Spring decided last year the corporate sponsorship program was more trouble than it was worth, and dropped it. I have not edited Carol's letter.

June 9, 2008

To the Board of Directors
The Hermitage No Kill Cat Shelter

I am now making a written request to all of you to explain to me why I have been banned from the shelter.

I truly fail to understand how keeping me away from the shelter, and cats I have loved and supported for years, is in anyone's best interest, least of all the cats. Perhaps it is that I have dared to question the decisions made (in secret I might add) that no longer reflect on Sister Seraphim's mission of a no-kill sanctuary, where every cat, no matter their condition, could live out their lives cherished and cared for?

My support for the Hermitage began over two decades ago, long before the shelter was even known to most of the Tucson community. There is no way to describe the environment of the shelter in the days preceding 2006. It was a calm place, full of love, everyone there had only the cat?s interests at heart. I was proud to support such a wonderful place. The sacrifices I made over the years to provide money, food, and whatever else I could help with paled in contrast to the work being done there in the name of compassion and love by people who were dedicated to the mission of the sanctuary and the cats living there. I am sure there was never enough money, but somehow, the staff and volunteers managed to keep things running.

What has happened? I understand that you all feel you "have a business to run now", which is fine, but that is not at odds with being a no-kill sanctuary. Are you not aware of Best Friends in Utah? Where over 1800 animals from all over are taken in and cared for? Did not any of you attend Nathan Winograd?s seminar recently?

Why have so many good programs gone by the wayside? Corporate sponsorships, active support for the individual cat sponsors? The website is in shambles with no one to update it or remove cats from the site who have died. My friends and family continued to support the Hermitage over the years as well, however now their emails and letters aren't even acknowledged. Can you afford to ignore your donors, who might bring in even more donors? I think not.

I have stayed loyal to the Hermitage over the years because I connect so deeply to the mission of no-kill, and the sanctuary where the most helpless and thrown away cats would always have a home. It seems as if the part of my life with the Hermitage is a bad dream anymore, with all the terrible decisions made over the past 2 years, and as I watched long-time employees and volunteers literally thrown away like garbage. You cannot even imagine the pain and stress I have known, watching the cats suffer, employees and volunteers I have known for years having their lives turned upside down, and for no reason that I can see, believe me, except for the lunatic ravings of one person who has been supported in all of this by your own neglect and disinterest. And to be told I can no longer see the cats I love and care for, and to not even have one of you be able to give me a good reason why.

I only hope that someday you will see your folly and mistakes, and I hope even more that innocent cat lives are not lost due to you.


Carol Porta
2317 North Belvedere
Tucson, AZ 85712
520-400-4454

I am publishing below a copy of the loyalty oath that Hermitage volunteers are now being required to sign. It starts out perfectly normal, but to me, it becomes darker with each paragraph. Put yourself in the shoes of volunteer Valerie Conforti, who was met at the door by Jackie the guard, and told that no one was allowed to enter until they signed, and that "this was necessary because some of the volunteers had not been nice to the cats and, along with former staff members, they had been doing things that are bad for the shelter." Valerie refused to sign, taking the stance that signing would be admitting volunteers had mistreated cats and behaved improperly, and that this was not true. She is still waiting for the promised phone call from Rosalie.


THE HERMITAGE CAT SHELTER CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

The Hermitage Cat Shelter is an animal welfare and service organization that strives to maintain a high standard of professionalism and productivity at all times.

To reach our objective, it is in the interest of the volunteers and organization to see the The Hermitage policies and procedures are followed with consistency and that volunteers have a commitment to professionalism and integrity within the organization.

Therefore, The Hermitage volunteers accept the responsibility to report to the Executive Director infractions of policies they believe may have an effect on the organization.

In addition, Hermitage volunteers also accept the personal responsibility to maintain a positive and professional work environment by following the proper procedure to resolve any conflicts. Malicious or speculative talk among volunteers is unproductive, undermines our ethical standards, and will not be tolerated.

There are then spaces for the volunteer's name, date, and then signature. Then spaces for the Executive Director's name date, and signature.

Volunteer and donor, Valerie Conforti, went to the Hermitage Cat Shelter Monday to work, and was met by Jackie, the new security person at the door. Jackie checked "The List", and found that Valerie was one of the volunteers who are still allowed in. Jackie said she knew that Valerie was very loving towards the cats. However, there was a form for everyone to sign and no-one was allowed in without signing it. Valerie read the form and saw that it said, among other things, that the volunteer has to agree not to engage in malicious gossip or speculation. The volunteer also had to agree to report any infractions to the Executive Director. Jackie said this was necessary because some of the volunteers had not been nice to the cats and, along with former staff members, they had been doing things that are bad for the shelter.

Valerie wasn't about to sign this. She said that by signing this, she would be admitting that the volunteers had mistreated the cats; that she had been going to the shelter for 8 months and never seen a volunteer be anything but very loving to the cats. Jackie then replied that Valerie would have to talk to Rosalie to get clearance, and had Valerie sign her name and phone number. It is now Wednesday evening, and no one from the shelter has called Valerie back.