about good mews animal foundation

Good Mews is one of the few virtually cage-free, no-kill cat shelters in the state of Georgia and the first in the metro Atlanta area. Since 1988, Good Mews has placed over 11,000 cats in permanent homes. We receive no government support, relying solely on donations of time, service, and money from our supporters, the public, and area businesses. Good Mews is home to approximately 100 residents at any given time, with another 30 to 40 cats in foster care or our HALO program, which allows cats with severe and/or chronic medicals needs to find homes with Good Mews continuing to provide medical care related to that condition. We have an average adoption rate of 600 cats per year.

mission statement

Good Mews offers an alternative to traditional animal shelters in the Metro-Atlanta area by providing a no-kill, cage-free, limited admission haven for homeless, abused, or abandoned cats until placing them in permanent, loving homes. Good Mews promotes public awareness regarding the value of pets, animal welfare, pet overpopulation, and quality human-animal companionship through education and outreach programs.

our founder

Gloria Skeen Cornell with a picture of former Good Mews “mascot,” Boca.

Good Mews was officially “born” in 1988 but that’s not where our story begins. Our founder, Gloria Skeen, was inspired very early in life when she first witnessed animal abuse and vowed to one day do what she could to end it. Later, her path to do just that began with two cats who chose her and a magazine article.

It was a cold December in the early 1980s. Gloria was a flight attendant at the time and had returned home from a trip to find a cat meowing in the rain. She welcomed her in, fed her, and named her Sarah. She recounts that she had no idea where she came up with that name, it just came to her. A few months later, a second cat made its way to her. She was determined not to name this one because she wasn’t going to keep her. That was a futile attempt, of course, and the second cat became known as Emily. Again, Gloria said the name came to her out of the blue.

Shortly thereafter, she received a call from an attorney who was attempting to locate the heirs of a deceased distant relative. She thought it was a scam, as the attorney would give her no name or information. During this time, she had also read an article about Tree House Humane Society in Chicago and was captivated by their rescue model and thought how wonderful it would be to have something like that here in the Atlanta area.

Well, as it turned out, the call from that attorney was not a scam. She had an inheritance on its way to her! The name of the deceased was also finally made available to her…Sarah Emily…the same as the two cats who’d recently walked into her life. It was certainly serendipitous, to say the least. She received her inheritance and that was the money that first funded Good Mews.

Gloria, we thank you for your vision and determination in the creation of this wonderful place that is so important in our community and which holds a special place in the hearts of all who cross our threshold. The many thousands of cats we have been able to save are indebted to you and Good Mews is grateful for you.

our cats

Good Mews provides our residents with excellent nutrition and extensive medical care. The only time our cats are caged is for medical observation and a two-week quarantine period upon their arrival at the shelter. Once a cat is accepted into our shelter population, it has a home for life. No cat is ever euthanized to make room for another, and euthanasia is ONLY performed when a veterinarian has diagnosed that the cat’s quality of life is severely and permanently compromised by sickness or injury.

Our cats come to us from a variety of circumstances. Many of our residents arrive abused, neglected, and terribly afraid. Often times, these cats are in urgent need of medical care. During recuperation, our dedicated staff and over 300 volunteers spend countless hours treating, cuddling and grooming the cats while they heal so they will start to trust humans again.

financial information

View our most recent audited financial statement:
2021
2021 IRS 990

We also invite you to review our 990’s on the following sites:
Charity Navigator
Guide Star