Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue to continue as founder leaves to 'make a bigger difference'

A New Kensington-based non-profit specializing in the efficient and low-cost care of cats will continue despite its founder moving away from the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Dr. Becky Morrow, a veterinarian who created Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue in 2010, is moving in June from Arnold to Urbana, Ill., where she has accepted a position as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She will direct the college’s shelter medicine program.

Moving with her is her husband, Alan Hooks, who retired last year after teaching 30 years at Knoch High School.

Morrow, 49, was previously an assistant professor at Duquesne University, which she left in August after 15 years.

A Harrison native who grew up in Tarentum and Buffalo Township, Morrow said she saw the job posting at the University of Illinois in January and found what they were looking for lined up perfectly with her resume.

“This is meant to be,” she said. “I can’t pass up this opportunity to help more animals.”

Morrow said she will teach students the high-volume, high-quality spay and neuter techniques she has developed through Frankie’s Friends. She’ll also teach veterinary forensics, in which she has a master’s degree and is used in investigating cruelty cases.

“I had to take the position. I can teach more people to do what we do,” she said. “I’m hopefully going to send some new veterinarians back.”

Those who know and work with Morrow are sad to be losing her, but also happy for her, said Lisa Kalmeyer, of New Kensington, a board member with Frankie’s Friends for almost 10 years.

“Her passion is teaching. She loves to teach,” Kalmeyer said. “So, this is a way for her to do that and expand our organization.”

Efforts spawned from tragedy

Morrow started Frankie’s Friends following the 2008 raid of the Tiger Ranch cat sanctuary in Frazer, where prosecutors said thousands of cats died and others lived in filth and disease. Its original purpose was to care for the cats rescued from what Morrow called the worst case of animal cruelty she has ever seen.

She named her organization after one of the cats that survived, but has died since. Other survivors are still in their adopted homes.

In addition to spay and neuter services, Frankie’s Friends provides low and no-cost veterinary care to cats — with and without homes — veterinary forensic services, and expert witness testimony for cruelty cases.

It rescues cats from hoarding, abandonment and other dangers, and promotes the targeted trap-neuter-return of community cats. It also conducts research into feline infectious diseases and stress in shelters.

The organization sold its building on Ninth Street in New Kensington in April and is now operating fully out of its location on Fifth Avenue.

In addition to being its founder, Morrow has been Frankie’s Friends’ president and medical director. She said they are looking for someone to replace her in what is a paid position with benefits.

Until a new veterinarian is hired, Kalmeyer said there are many things Frankie’s Friends will not be able to do, including spays and neuters, sedation grooming and rabies vaccinations. In the meantime, she said they’re going to offer other services they can do, such as boarding for cats, dematting and sanitation grooming, and soft claws — an alternative to declawing.

“We go above and beyond for these cats,” Kalmeyer said. “We would like somebody that will do the same.”

Fast, quality care

While in a private practice doing eight surgeries in a day is considered a lot, Morrow said 50 is not unreasonable at Frankie’s Friends. She figures Frankie’s Friends has treated tens of thousands of cats, with between 8,000 and 9,000 a year now.

By using smaller incisions and different techniques, Morrow said she can spay a female cat in three minutes and neuter a male in 20 seconds, while having good outcomes and a low rate of complications.

“You just learn to get more efficient,” she said. “We definitely made a difference. The work still needs to be done nationwide, not just locally. We need to get more veterinarians involved in this kind of work.”

She’ll also teach problem-solving skills — recently, she’s had to reconstruct noses on three injured cats.

“Nobody taught me how to make a nose on a cat,” she said.

Morrow called leaving bittersweet. The only other time she lived away from the Alle-Kiski Valley was when she attended veterinary school at Ohio State.

“When the opportunity is there to make a bigger difference, you can’t not take it,” she said.

Kalmeyer said the small group at Frankie’s Friends, between eight and 10 people, is going to work hard to keep it going.

“Everyone here is dedicated,” she said. “We’re going to make it work.”

Morrow said she plans to continue helping Frankie’s Friends as much as she can.

“Telemedicine is a thing now,” she said. “I can definitely be part of the team but from afar.”