PORT ORANGE, Fla. – For years, Candace Park dedicated herself to helping cats that had few other options.
Following her death after a fight with breast cancer, the woman widely known in the local Trap-Neuter-Return community left behind one last, urgent rescue effort — 55 cats living inside her Port Orange mobile home.
After weeks of work, rescuers have reduced that number by more than half. About 25 cats remained as of Monday, according to Tonja Heer, founder and president of Furry Nation Salvation, the Volusia County rescue group that stepped in after Park’s death. Some of the cats are social enough to be placed through traditional adoptions, while others have grown so fearful of people that rescuers are arranging to move them more than 1,600 miles away to a sanctuary in Colorado.
Heer said the case also underscores a broader warning for animal advocates: the desire to save every animal can reach a point where it becomes impossible to give each one the care they need.
“Candace Park has always had good intentions. She wants to help the animals,” Heer told News 6. “But unfortunately, in the same process, in my opinion, she has doomed a lot of cats too.”
Heer stressed that Park’s love for the animals was never in question.
She met Park about four years ago when Park wanted to foster animals for Furry Nation Salvation. Heer said Park became deeply involved in helping community cats and regularly made herself available to people who needed assistance.
“She would answer her phone all the time and offer her services,” Heer said. “Literally all the time, even if she wasn’t feeling well, because she did have breast cancer.”
Heer described helping cats as essentially Park’s life’s mission.
But over time, she noticed something else.
“Candace Park had a really hard time letting go of the cats she was helping,” Heer said.
Heer said she offered Park assistance through Furry Nation Salvation’s rehoming program multiple times and knew Park struggled with the idea of sending rescued animals somewhere else.
“She loved them, and she felt like her place was gonna be the best home,” Heer said. “In reality, it wasn’t.”
Heer said she and others knew many of the cats were likely to outlive Park and wished Park had accepted more help before her health declined.
“I just wish that she would ask for help,” Heer said, “because she really needed the help.”
Rescuers walked into a home with 55 cats
After learning Park had died, Heer said rescuers discovered 55 cats inside the mobile home.
“When I got here, there was definitely a lot of feelings of just feeling very overwhelmed,” Heer said. “Angry too, because it really became a mess, honestly. And sad that she had passed, because she was just so huge in the trap-neuter-return community, and she helped a lot of people and cats.”
Inside the home Monday, News 6 saw cats occupying rooms throughout the property. Some approached people readily. Others huddled together or disappeared beneath furniture when someone entered.
Kitty litter could be seen scattered around parts of the bathroom and other signs showed the difficulty of caring for such a large number of animals in one home.
Heer said that scale can affect more than cleanliness.
“When you have 55 in the house, you’re not able to pet them all the time,” Heer said. “You’re not able to see the wounds that they’re having. You’re not able to keep the fleas off of them.”
For Heer, that is where good intentions can collide with reality.
“You gotta understand that you have to let go in order to actually help them in the end,” she said.
55 cats are now down to about 25
The work since Park’s death has already made a significant difference.
Heer said Monday that the original 55 cats are down to about 25 still needing placement.
She estimated roughly seven to 10 are friendly and adoptable, while about 16 are less social or more feral and may be better suited for sanctuary life. Because the numbers are changing as cats are placed, the breakdown remains approximate.
Walking through what rescuers call the “friendly” room, Heer introduced News 6 to cats including Ranger, Frankie, Cooper, Simba and Peggy — a three-legged cat she described as sweet.
In other rooms, the reaction was very different.
“You can see how they’re gathering together for safety,” Heer said while showing News 6 several of the less-social cats. “They feel safer with each other.”
Heer said some of those animals would likely struggle in a conventional home.
“These are cats that’d be better suited for a sanctuary,” she said. “A nice, safe sanctuary, not just any sanctuary.”
Furry Nation Salvation said the cats involved in the rescue are fixed and vaccinated.
A 27-hour trip — with one person and as many as 20 cats
For some of the remaining cats, the next stop is Colorado.
Heer said Green Cat Shack in the Colorado Springs area reached out after seeing the cats’ situation on social media and offered sanctuary space. Heer said she was particularly interested because the less-social animals could remain together and have access to protected indoor and outdoor space.
“We couldn’t find anything local that was over 10 that was super safe,” Heer said. “All the cats get to remain together, and it’s just a really, really awesome opportunity.”
The trip is scheduled to begin Sept. 12.
And Heer plans to make it without another human passenger.
“No one’s joining me,” she said. “I’m going by myself.”
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She expects to have roughly 16 to 20 cats along for the trip, although the final number may change as placement plans are finalized.
Heer said she rented a large cargo van with air conditioning and plans to use large cages equipped with full-size litter boxes. Shelves are being installed to give the cats additional space, and the cages will be partially covered to help the animals feel secure.
“There’s definitely been a lot of figuring out to do for this trip,” Heer said.
A community effort cuts the number nearly in half
Heer said getting from 55 cats to roughly 25 did not happen through one rescue alone.
She credited other animal organizations, volunteers and people sharing the cats on social media with helping secure placements.
“Literally, the community has come together,” Heer said.
She told News 6 that there were days early in the process when rescuers would enter the home and have no idea where to begin.
“It was so overwhelming,” Heer said.
Now, she said, the situation finally feels manageable.
“We feel like we’ve got this.”
The case is also significant for Heer personally. She has been involved in rescue work for 17 years and said this is the largest number of cats she has ever had to deal with in one location at one time.
What is Furry Nation Salvation?
Furry Nation Salvation says it was established in 2010 and operates as a 501(c)(3), foster-based and volunteer-run animal rescue serving Volusia County and surrounding communities.
Unlike a traditional shelter with one building full of animals, a foster-based rescue relies on people caring for animals in homes while permanent placements are found.
The organization says it works to find homes for abandoned, unwanted and neglected animals, participates in Trap-Neuter-Return efforts and provides education about spaying, neutering and pet care. Its website says more than 155 pets have found homes with its help so far in 2026.
The rescue also helps transport animals to veterinary appointments and operates a no-fee Re-Homing Assistance Program for people who need to find a new home for a pet but can continue caring for the animal while a placement is found.
Under that program, Furry Nation Salvation helps owners advertise animals, provides guidance for screening potential adopters and can cross-post animals to adoption websites. The organization requires participating pets older than six months to be spayed or neutered and generally requires the owner or a foster to continue housing the animal until a permanent home is found.
That program is something Heer wishes more people knew about before the number of animals in their care becomes unmanageable.
“If you’re taking care of more of the cats that are permanently in your house and not able to help anymore, you know you’re starting to get overwhelmed,” Heer said.
Her advice is straightforward:
“Know your limits.”
“Sometimes you’re not gonna be able to help every single cat,” Heer said. “You’re gonna have to say no to know your limit and not keep taking and taking.”
What is Trap-Neuter-Return?
Trap-Neuter-Return, commonly called TNR, is a method used to manage populations of free-roaming or feral cats.
Furry Nation Salvation explains that cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and returned to their colony. The cats generally receive an ear tip so people can identify that they have already been sterilized. The organization maintains a list of TNR contacts and programs across Volusia County, including information for Port Orange residents.
Heer said people who find themselves continually taking in animals should reach out to rescues, foster networks and rehoming programs before reaching the point where they can no longer properly care for the animals already inside their home.
“There’s resources out there to help people,” she said.
How to adopt or help with the Colorado trip
Furry Nation Salvation is still trying to find appropriate homes for the friendly cats remaining from Park’s home.
People interested in adopting can browse available animals and submit an adoption application through the rescue’s website. The organization says it also posts animals to Facebook and Instagram, often before they appear on its website.
See cats available for adoption through Furry Nation Salvation
The rescue is also seeking financial help as Heer prepares for the Sept. 12 trip to Colorado. According to the organization’s original request for help, donations will assist with the cost of transporting the cats to safety.
Furry Nation Salvation accepts donations through its website using PayPal, debit or credit card. Its site also lists Venmo at @FurryNationSalvation, Zelle through FurryNationSalvation@hotmail.com, and donations by check. The organization says donations are tax-deductible.
Donate to Furry Nation Salvation and support its rescue work
People with questions about adopting, donating or the rescue can also contact Furry Nation Salvation at 386-295-2755 or FurryNationSalvation@hotmail.com.
For Heer, the goal now is not simply getting the cats out of Park’s home. It is making sure they end up somewhere appropriate for each individual animal.
She believes Park would approve.
“If Candace could see what we were doing, she would be ecstatic,” Heer said. “I think she’d be very happy to see that these cats are getting placed in not just any home, but the right homes and right sanctuaries.”
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