Fund Story

James and Betty Sprecher started the fund in honor of their family's passion for cats.

Fried's Cat Shelter was founded by Hans and Lucille Fried in 1977. The Frieds came to the United States in 1939 from Nazi Germany. In the late 1970's they sold their home in Beverly Shores, Indiana to buy an old roadside motel in Michigan City, Indiana. They turned the motel into a no-kill, cageless shelter for homeless and abandoned felines.

The Frieds did not believe in euthanization as a solution to the cat overpopulation problem. Hans became known by his favorite saying: "To save a life is more in conformity with God's law than to kill." Hans and Lucille felt that spaying and neutering would correct the problem and be a much more humane solution. It was their dream to create a safe haven for all felines who needed it.

The Frieds passed away in the early 1990's, but their legacy is still being carried out today. Fried's Cat Shelter is still a no-kill, cageless sanctuary that thoroughly believes in spaying and neutering as the most effective method to control the feline population.

Today the shelter consists of two buildings and houses over five hundred cats. The main building is home to the largest population of cats and also houses the offices and TNR clinic. The second smaller building is home to cats with special medical needs, such as those with FIV, Feline Leukemia and FIP.

All of the cats at Fried's Cat Shelter are guaranteed a home for life and are cared for by professional staff and wonderful volunteers.

  • Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
  • You will receive a tax receipt electronically for your records once your donation is processed.
  • Gifts by credit card incur a processing fee for each transaction which will be deducted from your gift. The current fee is 3.5% per transaction. When donating online, we invite you to select the option to increase your gift to cover this fee so that your charitable intent can be fully realized.
  • If you would like to make a one-time or recurring payment from a bank account, please contact the Unity Office at (219) 879-0327 or unity@uflc.net.
  • If you prefer to donate by check, our mailing address is 422 Franklin St, Suite C, Michigan City, IN 46360. Please include the fund name(s) you wish to donate to in the memo line.