A Shelter Designed for Cats

In the early 1980s, our founder, Gloria Skeen, returned home from a work trip to find a cat meowing in the rain outside her home. She took her in and named her Sarah. A few months later, a second cat appeared and, despite Gloria’s intentions not to keep her, she named her Emily.

Around the same time, Gloria was inspired by an article about a cat rescue organization in Chicago and dreamed of creating something similar in the Atlanta area. Then came an unexpected phone call: a distant relative had left her an inheritance. When Gloria finally learned the relative’s name, she was stunned. It was Sarah Emily—the same names as the two cats who had recently entered her life.

That inheritance provided the initial funding for Good Mews, turning Gloria’s dream into reality. More than three decades later, her vision and passion for animal welfare continues to guide our work, helping thousands of cats find safety, care, and loving homes.