In LA, where I live, the lost, abandoned, feral, and stray cat population is 1 to 3 million! And, as in most metropolitan areas, it is exploding! These vulnerable felines search city streets desperately looking for food, refuge from prey, protection from extreme weather, and sometimes while suffering from illness, open wounds, and missing limbs.
There are likely several hundred distinct cat rescue entities and individuals here—ranging from large, organizations to self-motivated individuals doing solo TNR operations. But we’re all disconnected! The only way to post urgent calls for help, when collaboration is essential, is through Facebook and Nextdoor—platforms that are ineffectual, disorganized, confusing, slow, and inaccurate when a timely response can mean life or death.
Imagine if there were one app to go to instead of dozens of Facebook and Nextdoor groups. If rescuers could see the precise last-seen location of the animal in need, learn the location of rescues and rescuers, send and receive instant notifications, and easily click steps in a project outine to inform the community about progress, impediments, and when a mission is accomplised—that would be huge!
There might even be a way to make it sustainable: a small yearly user fee (say, $5), with 50% going to animal rescue organizations. This could be a global service where everyone benefits, availabe to all pets, owners, and rescuers.
Can anybody help me to build this?