Timeline of Events

March 31: A fire breaks out at Happy Cat Sanctuary located at 12 Dourland Rd., Medford, New York killing Christopher Arsenault and over 150 cats.

• Lisa Jaeger assumes the role of leading and coordinating the rescue efforts.
• The Happy Cat HELP group is established on Facebook as a private group to act as the mouthpiece for the entirety of the Happy Cat Sanctuary fire rescue efforts. Members of the public must request to join or be invited before being added to the group as it is not made public.
• Jaeger’s Run Animal Rescue, Inc., Strong Island Animal Rescue League and North Fork Country Kids Rescue and Preservation Through Pedagogy are declared to be the only rescues who are authorized to engage in rescue efforts and fundraising.
• Nicole Jacobs, Lisa Jaeger’s daughter, begins giving updates through Facebook live videos.
• Immediately a GoFundMe fundraiser is established by Lisa Jaeger. In addition a Facebook fundraiser under Jaeger’s Run Animal Rescue is set up and Jaeger’s Run Venmo account is widely distributed.
• Yasmin Rivera remains upstate as the sole caretaker of the 89 cats and 27 chickens she states are housed on the property located in Canajoharie, New York.
• Animal advocates who had previously expressed concern about Chris Arsenault’s operation of Happy Cat Sanctuary began to receive arson accusations and threats.
• Kristen Arsenault is on scene in Medford along with her mother. She assists in identifying her father’s body and ensuring that the sanctuary remains intact for the remaining cats’ safety.

April 1: Lisa Jaeger states that a ‘command station’ has been established at the property next to the burned sanctuary in Medford.

• Frankie Floridia from Strong Island Animal Rescue League is on site rescuing cats.
• Paws Of War is on site with a mobile veterinary truck staffed by veterinarians and technicians triaging cats as they are rescued on the property before they are transferred to a makeshift sanctuary.
• Members of North Fork Country Kids are on site preparing to assist.
• A warehouse in Holbrook, Long Island is secured to house the surviving cats of the fire. Joe, the owner of Total Pet Care in Holbrook, graciously provided his assistance by offering the warehouse space at his place of business. His offer was not specific to a single organization but rather to anyone helping Chris’ cats.
• Yasmin Rivera, the caretaker upstate placed there by Christopher Arsenault in the beginning of March, begins asking for donations from the public to continue to care for the cats in the wake of Chris’s passing.
• Donna Marie, an admin of Happy Cat HELP states that Lisa Jaeger is in contact with Yasmin to determine what is needed upstate and how it will be delivered there.
• Rescue groups across Long Island began finding ways to help. One organization, known for its long-standing and well-respected reputation, was asked by the town shelter to assist by pulling cats in order to make room for incoming victims of the sanctuary fire. To ensure they could provide proper care for the cats they took in, the organization began fundraising on behalf of the shelter cats.
• A Facebook group called ‘Matching Missing Happy Cat Sanctuary Cats’ is established with the permission of Lisa Jaeger to help individuals who have surrendered cats to Christopher Arsenault to attempt to determine their fates by posting pictures and microchip information in the hopes that they can be identified.
• Isabel Pymm, President and Founder of The No Kill Project, begins to receive calls and reports that local trappers and advocates are not allowed to help the injured cats scattered around the premises of the sanctuary.
• Threats of bodily harm against animal advocates—stemming from accusations of arson and directed at those who had previously raised concerns about the health of the sanctuary cats—were not publicly condemned by individuals in leadership positions at Happy Cat Sanctuary.

April 2: An update is made stating that only North Fork Country Kids and Strong Island Animal Rescue are authorized to trap and vet surviving cats. This is said to be overseen by the board of Happy Cat Sanctuary and is spearheaded by Jaeger’s Run Animal Rescue operated by Lisa Jaeger.

• All additional trappers are told NOT to go to the site to assist with trapping.
  • In opposition to this public statement, a rescuer who was previously permitted to trap claims that all trapping was allegedly to be carried out by a single trapper who had been placed in charge.
• It is reiterated that there are approved fundraisers through North Fork Country Kids and Strong Island Animal Rescue whose funds are to be allocated to the “critical care” of the animals.
• Isabel Pymm along with other members of The No Kill Project begin to offer help with animal and property assessment of the upstate sanctuary cats and property.
• The previously mentioned organization that helped free up space at the town shelter to accommodate some of the incoming cats from the sanctuary fire was falsely and publicly accused of raising funds under false pretenses. As a result, their long-standing reputation was harmed. To date, no public apology or clarification has been issued.

April 3: Lisa Jaeger states that a database is being established to catalog all surviving cats*

• The database is to be established with the intention of allowing individuals who surrendered their cats to Chris to identify them.
• Lisa Jaeger states that all rescues raising funds for Happy Cat Sanctuary that are not turned over to Happy Cat will be prosecuted.
• Lisa Jaeger states, concerning fundraising: “We have a huge project (sic) upstate New York. We’re looking at probably a half a million dollars or so to get everything completed and finished- landscaping, grating, the other building going up, ventilation, air conditioning, heating, outside areas and we are now starting to work with some contractors upstate to try to coordinate this effort.”
• Happy Cat HELP begins to tightly limit communications. It is reported that certain members with questions and concerns about the cats roaming the burned down sanctuary are expelled from the Happy Cat HELP page.
• Kristina Gebers of Kindred Kitten Rescue located in Jacksonville, Florida, begins to publicly question the fundraising and motives behind Lisa Jaeger on her rescue’s Facebook page.
• *To date there is no public database of the surviving cats.

April 4: Brookhaven fire marshal concludes arson investigation as “undetermined”- the cause of the fire was deemed not suspicious.

• Cats are now beginning to enter the warehouse from the fire.
  • It should be noted that this is occurring four days after the fire, following multiple eyewitness accounts of cats freely roaming the area—many with injuries, particularly to their paws and extremities.
• A link for volunteers is placed on the Happy Cat HELP page for volunteers to apply and be “vetted” for volunteer service. It states all potential volunteers will also be receiving a phone call from Nicole Jacobs to complete the application process and be allowed on-site at the warehouse.
• A wake is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9th for Chris Arsenault. Lisa Jaeger states this wake is for “friends and family only.”
  • Due to the notoriety of Chris’ life and death, the funeral home began to receive harassing communications. A statement of “friends and family only” was placed in the obituary to avoid media presence.
• Lisa Jaeger states she plans to schedule a public memorial service for Chris “towards the end of April.” Stating that “we are working on finding a big enough venue to house over a thousand people.” To date no reported service has been done.

April 5: Lisa Jaeger states 113 cats are currently being housed at the warehouse in Holbrook and that close to another 100 cats are expected to arrive.

• Lisa Jaeger states in a text message to Kristen Arsenault that Happy Cat Sanctuary has raised enough money to purchase a piece of property and keep the sanctuary on Long Island.

April 6: The first wave of veterinary care is performed on all cats housed at the warehouse

• Veterinarians, technicians and assistants were secured on a volunteer basis.
• Lisa Jaeger states that over 50 veterinarians and volunteers performed medical care on the cats at over 6 stations throughout the warehouse.
• At the end of the day, 148 cats were vaccinated, FIV/FeLV snap tested, microchipped and flea treated using donated supplies.
• All cats were “behaviorally assessed”- more can be read about the assessment process here.
• The total number of cats at the warehouse at the end of the day is stated to be approximately 180 with an estimate of 30 additional cats in need of medical care for the following day who had not yet been examined and provided with preventative treatments.
• Eyewitness accounts report seeing FeLV+ cats indiscriminately placed in Lisa Jaeger’s vehicle at the end of the day- their current whereabouts are unknown. These cats are not known to have ever been entered in the database and therefore never received an ‘HCS’ number.
• In the week(s) following, cats would begin to be released to other rescue organizations.

April 7:  A reported 54 additional cats are found dead on the Medford property

April 8: Lisa Jaeger issues a statement addressing Kristina Gebers of Kindred Kitten Rescue in Jacksonville, Florida and her allegations that Lisa Jaeger is not a board member.

• Lisa states: “I am a double mastectomy breast cancer survivor, raised two children from infants on my own and endured 14 surgeries being injured in the line of duty as a New York City Police Officer.”
• In addition, Lisa Jaeger publicly states herself in a video accompanying the written statement: “I am a board member.”
• It is once again stated that Chris’s wake on Wednesday, April 9, is private and for friends and family only and that a separate memorial service is being planned.

April 9: A wake service for Christopher Arsenault is held in Manhasset, New York.

• Both Lisa Jaeger and Marilyn Gales are not in attendance.
• Yasmin Rivera drove 4 hours each way from upstate New York to be in attendance.

April 10: Lisa Jaeger posts an update stating that trapping efforts are continuing while the approximately 200 cats housed at the warehouse are being uploaded to a database.

• Nicole Jacobs states the previously established “photo match group” made April 1 was made without board approval and that she was told to remove it “for the safety of our cats, and the safety of our volunteers.”
• The group is still public but has been archived.

April 12: Nicole Jacobs states that active updates will no longer be posted to the Happy Cat HELP group.

• Group members are told to visit a newly established website that “will be appropriately updated by our legal team moving forward.”
• The website is https://www.therealhappycatsanctuary.com/ *
• Nicole Jacobs states an update will be posted when there is more information made available about a memorial service for Christopher Arsenault.**
• *The website is seldom updated
• **A memorial service for Christopher Arsenault has yet to be scheduled.

April 14: Kristen Arsenault, Christopher Arsenault’s daughter and trustee of the Christopher Arsenault Irrevocable Trust issues a public statement effectively stating that Happy Cat Sanctuary has been usurped by dubious individuals.

• It can be read here:

• https://christopherarsenault.org/

• Nicole Jacobs announces on the Happy Cat HELP page: “What was posted by Kristen is false information and we ask that you disregard as she is grieving and clearly being misinformed.”

April 15: Rumors begin to circulate that Lisa Jaeger plans to shutter the upstate sanctuary and move the cats to a warehouse on Long Island.

• A statement is issued by an anonymous Facebook profile that goes by the name “Sarah Marie” that is associated with the leadership of Happy Cat Sanctuary: “I have received a couple of messages regarding some things that were said today. I’ll help to clear them up. The upstate location of the sanctuary is not closing. No one person has the authority to close it. Some things were said today out of frustration, exhaustion, mental fatigue as one could expect would happen. Now add to that losing your best friend, non stop lies and bullying by the same people who did the same to Chris. Sometimes we need to rant and get it out. That is all. There is no deep or secret conspiracy behind closed doors. People are burnt out and someone who has already shown bad intentions, who I need to confirm if they were even on the volunteer schedule or if they have just been showing up, ran with it because it fit their agenda.”

April 17: Clove, a feral cat from Happy Cat Sanctuary under the care of Last Chance Animal Rescue escapes the home of a foster and is reported missing. This information will not be made widespread to the public until April 27th via Facebook.

April 20: Donna Contrera, long time friend of Chris Arsenault comes forward online to state the following:

• The board members listed on a memorandum drafted by Marilyn Gales are not true or factual. A copy of the memorandum is shown below.
• Donna herself is not a board member.
• Mitten was a burned cat recovered by Kristen Arsenault in the neighbors yard next to the burned sanctuary property and brought to Long Island Spay and Neuter for medical care. When she attempted to pick him up she was told she would need a court order.
• Cats were being taken from the property by certain individuals with verbal permission from Lisa Jaeger without undergoing proper cataloging of the animal or vetting of the individual taking the cat.
• The Happy Cat website and social media pages have not been hacked as alleged by Lisa Jaeger and Nicole Jacobs.
• Chris’s dream was to build his sanctuary upstate.

April 21: Donna Contrera issues an additional statement on Facebook with the intention of debunking multiple allegations made by Lisa Jaeger following her statement on the 20th. Some of her additional claims include:

• Chris’s dream was to build a sanctuary upstate and that he no longer wished to entertain building one on Long Island due to continued issues with the town.
• Lisa Jaeger’s relationship with Chris does not date 6 years.

April 26: Lisa Jaeger along with volunteers shows up unannounced to the upstate sanctuary.

• Jaeger would post her visit on her personal Facebook page accusing Yasmin Rivera of neglecting the cats in her care and stating that Rivera did not provide the cats with adequate food or water and that their litter boxes were not clean. Jaeger would also allege that cats kept in crates within the barn were denied food and water. She would remove this post from her Facebook less than 24 hours later.
• Jen and Jim Flynn are appointed volunteer caretakers of the upstate cats and Yasmin Rivera is locked out of the barn and prohibited from continuing to care for the cats. 
• Yasmin Rivera releases footage of Lisa Jaeger removing cats from the warehouse and states that feral cats from Happy Cat Sanctuary are escaping people’s homes.
• Additional video is released by Yasmin Rivera showing Lisa speaking with volunteers Catherine Citrano and Jen and Jim Flynn discussing the conditions within the barn. Catherine Citrano can be heard saying “the litter was not bad at all.” Lisa Jaeger stops the volunteers from speaking while pointing to the security camera filming from the ceiling and then eventually unplugs the camera.

April 27: Images of ‘Clove’ the missing cat from Last Chance Animal Rescue begin circulating online in the form of ‘Missing’ posters. She is reportedly missing in Southampton, New York on the south fork of Long Island.

• Clove was never publicly reported missing by anyone in charge at Happy Cat Sanctuary or Last Chance Animal Rescue.

April 30: Yasmin Rivera releases video footage from within the upstate barn that shows Lisa Jaeger accessed the barn by climbing through a barn window.

May 6: Marilyn Gales, under Happy Cat Inc., files suit against Kristen Arsenault

• The lawsuit complaint can be read here.

May 7: Clove has been found safe, trapped by Teddy Henn, a trapper on Long Island.

• Her current whereabouts are unknown.

May 8: A new Facebook group titled From the Board of Happy Cat is created and open to the public.

• Comments are screened and restricted.

May 28: News surfaces that a new, “temporary sanctuary” will be established in Ronkonkoma, New York on the second floor of a commercial building that is meant to serve as an office space.

• The rent is alleged to be $66,000 for the year.

June 4: The No Kill Project, a nonprofit rescue, releases a video on their Facebook page obtained by a whistleblower volunteer that depicts one of the cats removed from the upstate sanctuary on April 26 seizing alone in its cage.

• The cat is determined to be a cat named Blue who the volunteer alleges went days without appropriate medical treatment after being brought to Long Island until his condition deteriorated to the point of seizure activity. 
• You can read Blue’s story here.

June 6: Lisa Jaeger, with the help of volunteers, removes all remaining cats from the upstate sanctuary leaving only the chickens behind.

• A video filmed by Yasmin Rivera and uploaded to her Facebook page shows the cats being removed from the barn and placed into a rented, non-climate controlled U-Haul van. An argument between Lisa Jaeger and volunteer Kathleen Mott-Leslie is caught on camera where Mott-Leslie tells Jaeger that it is unsafe to stack the cats “3-high” in the van (3 carriers on top of one another). Lisa Jaeger can be heard insisting it is what she wants to do and she has done it before.

June 7: Jim Oliva, Happy Cat Sanctuary volunteer and occasional online spokesperson issues a statement on the From the Board of Happy Cat Facebook page that is accompanied by pictures of cats in the new “temporary sanctuary”

June 10: Lisa Jaeger and Kathleen Mott-Leslie return to the upstate sanctuary to remove two cats from a smaller, separate barn that they state were neglected in Yasmin Rivera’s care.

• A video uploaded to Lisa Jaeger’s Facebook page alleges a tuxedo feral cat seen in a trap is “covered in ringworm.”
• Kathleen Mott-Leslie is seen holding up a blanket from the inside of a cat house that she claims is soaked with urine.

June 11: The No Kill Project posts on their Facebook page that they were contacted by a woman who stated that she trapped the black and white cat seen in the pictures and video posted by Lisa Jaeger from June 10.

• When he was initially trapped in November of 2024, he was covered in wounds and determined to be FIV+. His condition was treated and he was surrendered to Chris with scarring on his body.
• More can be read about him here.

June 16: Kristen Arsenault files a counterclaim against Happy Cat, Inc.

It can be read here

June 22: The remaining cats are removed from the temporary warehouse in Holbrook and moved to the new “temporary sanctuary” in Ronkonkoma, New York.

• To date the number of cats housed at the temporary sanctuary is unknown.
• No member of the current Happy Cat Sanctuary leadership structure has ever publicly answered this question or volunteered this information.

July 7: Patty Burkhart, a rescuer and trapper on Long Island, issued a statement on her Facebook page claiming that the current leadership of Happy Cat Sanctuary was aware that a municipal shelter—which had willingly accepted cats for lifelong care following the fire—had released two of them into a feral colony in eastern Long Island.

• You can read Patty’s story here.

July 10: Strong Island Animal Rescue League issues a statement in response to accusations by the current leadership of Happy Cat Sanctuary that they have refused to turn over the money they fundraised following the fire.

The statement can also be read in full here.

July 11: Virginia Scudder, President and founder of North Fork Country Kids Animal Rescue issues a statement indicating that the current leadership of Happy Cat Sanctuary has refused to contribute financially to alleviate the debt incurred by her rescue after caring for and treating 8 cats following the fire.

Her full statement can be read here.

To donate to the care of these cats and help North Fork Country Kids continue the valuable work they do for cats across Long Island, please visit their Facebook page or https://www.northforkcountrykids.org/donate to donate via PayPal. Venmo donations can be sent to: @northforkcountrykids

July 12: Lisa Jaeger issues a public statement on her personal Facebook page stating: “With a heavy heart, I have decided to step down from my position as a board member of Happy Cat Sanctuary.”

• She states “I will continue to volunteer under the board’s direction.”

October 9: A temporary restraining order (TRO) is entered against Marilyn Gales.

The TRO temporarily bars Gales from continuing to serve in a leadership capacity over Happy Cat, Inc. and additionally prevents her from taking any further action on behalf of the organization.

November 5: The New York State Attorney General Charities Bureau has been ordered to be added as a necessary party to the Montgomery County action.

This order has been amended November 24, 2025.

For additional information on the latest legal developments, please see the recent blog post.