Our Story

It all started in 2015 when our cat sitter said, "do you want to see the colonies I feed?" Our first question was, "what is a colony?" We found out that behind so many stores, at the edges of parking lots, neighborhoods with a nice person who feeds... there are so many "community" cats that gather and become a colony. We discovered that Florida has more than their share of colonies. We spent the next several years trapping, providing TNvR (Trap-Neuter- Vaccinate-Return), fostering and finding homes.

Eventually, the colonies a small group of us fed, were in jeopardy of being evicted from their homes in the alleys and landscaping between parking lots. Additionally, cats were "disappearing" due to predators and attrition with increased traffic in the area.

After researching sanctuaries and finding very few, all of which were overwhelmed, we went to look for land to build a retirement area for the 22 cats from the colonies we were supporting. In 2021 Big D's Ranch started and we were officially classified a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2025. There are currently 51 outdoor residents housed on a one acre plot of land with three buildings, multiple feeding areas, trees and brush for hiding and many cat gyms and cedar houses for lounging and playing. All behind a fence designed to keep the cats "in" and other creatures "out!" Check out our Gallery Page!