About Us
Animals In Distress, or AID for short, is a small 501(c)3 non-profit cat rescue based in Hamilton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Our kitties are located in our adoption room known locally as The Cat Cottage or in our foster homes. Our group is run entirely by volunteers.
Our History
Animals In Distress has been saving the lives of cats since 1968.
Our Mission & What We Do
Everyday, animal rescuers receive calls and emails about animals that are found in distressing situations or are on the verge of losing their housing. Frequently, it is the case that our volunteers go out into our local community and acquire the cats themselves by picking them up off of the streets or trapping them. Animals In Distress focuses on helping the cats that need us the most: the strays, the house cats that were dumped outside by their owners, those in need of medical support or rehabilitation, and those in poor housing conditions. We also pull cats from our local shelters that are in need of more support than the shelters are able to provide (they do their best, but are constantly overwhelmed).
Our fosters provide strong medical support to the kitties who need it: personalized housing accommodations, daily oral and topical medications, first-aid care, supportive care (including bottle feeding kittens, syringe feeding, subQ fluids, etc.), vet appointments, surgery recovery, and working closely with our beloved veterinarians for support. Medical support and rehabilitation is often the only thing standing between an animal in need and them finding their forever home.
Our fosters and volunteers at The Cat Cottage provide hours of socialization everyday. A cat's whole world is turned upside down when their environment changes. This can cause kitties to regress socially. Often, our team are among the first humans a cat has interacted with. Our team focuses heavily on working with the cats in our care everyday to teach them social skills with humans and other cats.
We provide social and medical rehabilitation to prepare for the ultimate goal: finding our cats their forever homes. We care deeply about placing our cats in the right environment for them after investing time, energy and finances in their well-being. Through our adoption process we hope to create lasting, successful matches that benefit both cats and the people who welcome them into their homes.
We need your help.
Want to join our incredible team of volunteers and help towards our goal of preparing cats for adoption? Click here.
Want to join our amazing team of fosters who save lives? Click here.
Want to help support us financially as we provide housing, food, and medical care? Click here.
Board of Directors
Madison Pullen-Mutek - President
Madison adopted her beloved cat Andy from Animals In Distress in October of 2020. In 2021, she began regularly volunteering at the Cat Cottage after having such a positive experience with adopting from the organization. What started as a promise to her husband of 1-2 fosters at a time quickly evolved into a full blown medical ward in their basement. Since her first litter of kittens in October of 2022, Madison has fostered 100+ cats with some foster-fails along the way. Her focus is on the medically needy, caring for critically ill cats and kittens in need of intensive care as well as socializing the spicy kitties who need someone dumb enough to try and pet them.
Her main focus in the group has been coordinating and providing medical care and guidance for AID cats and fosters as well as physically trapping and collecting cats from poor environments that need help. Her hands-on roles include caring for her fosters, spending time at the Cat Cottage, transporting cats to and from vet appointments, trapping outdoor cats, community outreach, and working on the Adoption Team. After taking on more administrative responsibilities over time, she took over the role as President of the organization in January 2026.
Pam Maiello - Treasurer
Pam’s love for animals began when she was a little girl growing up in Brooklyn, NY. On her walks home from school, she would often spot stray cats and call her mom at work, begging for permission to bring them home. When Pam was 15, her mom finally gave in, and the family welcomed their first pet—a toy poodle named Demitasse. Over the years, Pam shared her life with several amazing dogs. After the loss of her sweet schnauzer, Pam knew she still wanted the companionship of a pet. But with long workdays keeping her out of the house for 12 hours a day, she thought a cat might be a better fit. Even though she didn’t know much about cats at the time, she connected with a local rescue in New Jersey and adopted Layla, a gorgeous long-haired kitty with tons of confidence and personality.
As Layla got older, Pam started thinking about adopting again. Her vet suggested a visit to the “Cat Cottage,” and that’s where her journey with Animals in Distress began.
In 2017, she adopted Gracie from AID, and in 2021 she officially became a volunteer. Today, Pam shares her home with three cats of her own—all AID alumni—and spends much of her free time helping cats in need. Whether she’s fostering, socializing cats at the Cat Cottage, or meeting with potential adopters to help make the perfect match, she loves being part of each cat’s journey to a happy home. In 2026, Pam joined AID’s Board of Directors as Treasurer. She looks forward to many more years of helping cats find the safe, loving homes they deserve.
Jade Reres - Secretary
Jade has been with Animals in Distress since September 2021 when she started fostering with us. She has experience working with animals in past jobs and previously fostered for another rescue. Since 2021, she has fostered well over 100 cats and kittens - anywhere from nursing mom and babies, to rehabilitation cases, to those needing extra socialization. With the many cats she has fostered, she has also experienced quite a few foster fails over the years! These are cats that her and her husband felt a strong connection to and couldn’t let go!
Over the years, Jade has taken on more tasks and currently volunteers in our cat cottage weekly, runs our social media accounts, manages our cat listings on Adopt-a-Pet and PetFinder, and is on the Adoption Team. She loves getting to spend time with our kitties on a weekly basis and it gives her a chance to learn more about them (for their listing ads) and get some great videos/pictures for our socials. In 2026, Jade joined AID’s Board of Directors as Secretary.
