About the association Samtpfoten e.V.
The association
About us.
Our cat shelter was established in October 2006 with the objective to find new homes for cats living in the Diepensee area. During a resettlement operation back then, a whole village was being relocated owing to the construction of the new Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BBA). After rehoming all the cats living there, we continued our work in the protection and adoption of cats in and around Berlin.
At our shelter, animals’ needs come first.
Some of our cats have been through a lot; they mourn their lost homes and miss their guardians or animal friends. In our rehoming process, we make sure that the animals’ needs are met
We’re a small, transparent shelter looking after our cats individually. Our cats receive a lot of attention and affection, so we can build a trust-based relationship with them. Whatever they’ve gone through, they can overcome that experience quicker and better this way. Once we get to know them closely, we can make well-considered recommendations to prospective guardians for cat and human relationship that last.
We take all the necessary medical precautions, socialize the cats and look after them closely in small, stress-free groups. Feeding high-quality cat food is just as natural as regular playtimes and a diverse environment full of adventures.
Our most important aim is responsible adoption into a suitable and loving home.
There’s no room for rush at our place. Take your time – just like we do.
Support us
Support us in many ways:
E.g. with campaign donations, animal sponsorships, by becoming a member or simply with a donation - click here.
Die Augen einer Katze sind Fenster, die uns in eine andere Welt blicken lassen
Irisches Sprichwort
Our team
Different motivations
Our members are active at the shelter in various ways. Some help in the shelter and do shifts in our rooms, while others design flyers or take great photos of our cats. Still others help out at street festivals at our booth. What we all have in common is that we contribute to the welfare of animals in our own individual ways. Meet some of us here:
Jens Christoph
Member since autumn 2009, member of the board since May 2012.
I’m a member because animal rights and animal protection are dear to my heart, and I can provide very practical support here. Being a financial professional, I found it natural to take the function of a treasurer for the shelter. Besides, I highly appreciate the voluntary engagement of everyone at our association. We are a nice team with every member providing valuable work that is beneficial and feels good to do.
Personally, I find it very important that our association stands out from other similar organisations through its beneficial performance. The clocks tick differently here. I am convinced that the concept of animal rights and practical work in animal welfare coexist. This is why our website comprehensively discusses animal rights too.
Ines Russew
Member since February 2012, member of the board since May 2012.
I first came across the shelter at the traditional Christmas market at Richardplatz. As I’m closely bonded to animals, cats in particular, and had also long been looking for a shelter to volunteer for, I quickly made up my mind and joined the team.
My regular visits for cuddles, playtime and helping out quickly grew into something more.
Today, as a member of the board I work on advancing our shelter, ensuring its smooth operation and creating an association that on the one hand, serves animal welfare and on the other hand, provides practical help to animals and people alike when they are in need.
Carmen Bohn
Vorstand
Content coming soon…
Dr. Frank Erzner and Mario Guarino
active members since April 2014
We, Mario and Frank have both been interested in cats for decades. We were active volunteers at a cat shelter in Wedding, Berlin in 2002. Although this shelter closed its doors, our love for cats remained.
After years spent in the company of former shelter cats at home (and with their disabilities of various degrees) we now find ourselves alone. Saying goodbye to all these cats at the end of their lives was increasingly difficult to us, so we’d like to insert a private emotional pause in having cats.
Now we’d like to engage with Samtpfoten as volunteers, and sure there’s a lot to do. And then we may also have lots of cat-contact again “on the spot” in Neukölln.
Samtpfoten Neukölln
Our philosophy
As a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals we believe in a philosophy that is easy to understand and plausible and that has the animal’s wellbeing in mind. We believe that all animals have specific interests and needs and the right to see them fulfilled. Unfortunately, it is often not possible for them to look after their interests themselves, and that’s where we human beings with our ability to use our common sense come in.
As human beings we are able to recognize animals’s needs and make sure they are fulfilled. Our reward for this is the certainty that we have helped a sensitive being to find a little happiness.
Our association believes in the following principles, which are binding for all persons involved:
In our view, all animals that live with and around us have the right to be kept in a species-appropriate environment, to be fed an appropriate diet and to live a life without exploitation.
If a cat falls ill we focus on the long-term welfare of the animal. This is why we prefer holistic approaches that don’t treat the symptoms but the causes of an illness.
Our philosophy is not based on dogmas but common sense. This requires us to be critical and develop a healthy amount of scepticism, particularly when choosing food products but also veterinarians or therapists for our animals.
Our association makes its decisions freely and independently.
This philosophy is the foundation of the guidelines that we follow when admitting cats to our association, caring for them and then placing them in loving homes.
This is how we can make decisions with a clear conscience, even if they are not met with approval by everybody affected. We pursue a very simple aim: the wellbeing of every animal that we are responsible for.
Annual reports.
In 2012 the new board of directors decided to provide the biggest possible transparency. We believe we owe this to our donors, but also to other people who are interested in the association. The only limitations to this are areas where personality rights and data protection are concerned. For this reason, we’ve made some passages illegible in the following documents, but we hope they are nevertheless comprehensible.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if yo have any queries. We will be pleased to answer all your questions.
Annual reports for viewing (German only)
Die Präsentation der ordentlichen Jahresvollversammlung vom 29. November 2018: MV_2018
Das Protokoll der Sitzung vom 15. April 2016: Protokoll_MV_20181129-signed
Zusätzliche Informationen zu einzelnen Punkten geben wir gerne auf individuelle Nachfrage.
Die Präsentation der ordentlichen Jahresvollversammlung vom 15. April 2016: Präsentation_MV_2016
Das Protokoll der Sitzung vom 15. April 2016: Protokoll_MV_2016_public
Anmerkungen zur Präsentation und zum Zahlenwerk:
- Die Erträge aus Affiliate-Programmen stehen in keinem abhängigen Zusammenhang mit der Tätigkeit des Vereins, es handelt sich fast ausschließlich um Erträge aus dem Gooding-Programm (www.gooding.de)
- Einem erheblichen Teil der Marketingaufwendungen sowie der Verwaltungsaufwendungen stehen Spenden bzw. Spenden durch Auslagenverzicht gegenüber. Im Sinne der Transparenz zeigen wir beide Seiten. Wir lesen oft von anderen Vereinen, dass keine Marketing- und Verwaltungskosten entstanden sind – das ist natürlich entweder falsch oder dumm. Beides ist zwingend erforderlich. Wir finanzieren dies aus Spenden, die für genau diesen Zweck geleistet werden oder gegen Auslagenverzicht.
- Der relativ niedrige Bestand an liquiden Mitteln zum Ende des Jahres 2014 ist zwischenzeitlich deutlich erhöht worden (siehe Präsentation).
- Zum Zeitpunkt der Mitgliederversammlung waren keine MAE-Stellen mehr aktiv. Der Verein baut derzeit komplett auf ehrenamtliche Mitglieder und auf aktuell eine bezahlte Stelle (Minijob). Der Ausbau von Minijobs (wochentags, vormittags) ist dringend erforderlich, bedarf jedoch einer sicheren Finanzierung, die aktuell noch nicht machbar ist.
Die Präsentation der ordentlichen Jahresvollversammlung vom 12. Juli 2013: Präsentation_MV_2013
Das Protokoll der Sitzung vom 12. Juli 2013: Protokoll_MV_2013_public
Anmerkungen zur Präsentation und zum Zahlenwerk:
- In den Raumkosten sind die Instandhaltungsarbeiten enthalten. Der Effekt beträgt knapp 4.000 Euro wird sich aber in den kommenden Jahren fortsetzen, da ein erheblicher Sanierungsrückstand aufzuholen ist.
- Ein erheblicher Teil der Marketingaufwendungen sowie der Verwaltungsaufwendungen sind Spenden bzw. Spenden durch Auslagenverzicht. Im Sinne der Transparenz zeigen wir beide Seiten. Wir lesen oft von anderen Vereinen, dass keine Marketing- und Verwaltungskosten entstanden sind – das ist natürlich entweder falsch oder dumm. Beides ist zwingend erforderlich. Wir finanzieren dies aus Spenden, die für genau diesen Zweck geleistet werden oder gegen Auslagenverzicht.
- Der relativ niedrige Durchschnittsbestand an Katzen hängt mit den Sanierungsmaßnahmen (bzw. unverträglichen Gruppen) zusammen. Dennoch wurde die Vermittlungszahl merklich erhöht.