Program Needs YOUR Assistance

 

Alley cats, street cats, barn cats -- PAWS TNR Program grew out of the need to control and humanely reduce this population.  

 

Today I send out a plea for your help for the PAWS Trap Neuter Return (aka TNR) Program. We have a critical need for support from the community.
 
In case you aren't familiar with the program, here are a few factoids about a program that started in March 2004 with a handful (literally) of volunteers and Keystone Mobile Veterinary Services.
 
Since then, through a lot of changes and comings and goings:

All of this has led to one fact: we have spayed or neutered more than 9,000 cats. By the most conservative estimate, if every female we spayed had lived only one year longer, this effort has prevented the birth of more than 40,000 kittens. Almost half of these kittens would have died before reaching a year of age in ways that confound comprehension or compassion. If each surviving daughter and her mother had lived yet another year, they could have produced more than 130,000 kittens. This is not an exaggeration. It is simple math in a world where 1+1= 9.
 
Even if you have not held the tiny body of a sick, injured or starving kitten in your hand, you know that we cannot allow this unnatural and unwarranted suffering to continue. It is our collective responsibility to stop it and this is how you can help:
 
Raise funds. A local 10 year-old canvassed her neighborhood and raised $44, which paid for one spay. Her mom is sending a request to her employer for a donation that will pay for more surgeries. A few residents of a local mobile home park held a bake sale and other activities that raised more than $200. That's five spays. Every dollar prevents suffering.
 
Volunteer your time. One hour a month making phone calls or transporting cats to a clinic. A few hours a month to distribute traps. One day a month to staff a clinic. Every minute prevents suffering.
 
Talk to your veterinarian. If every vet in our area donated one day of surgeries a year, we could alter tens of thousands of animals every year and end the suffering in less than a decade. Every surgery prevents suffering.
 
Send a check or donate online. Any amount is welcome. No donation is too small. Every penny prevents suffering. 

Spread the word. Encourage your municipality to create a local program with your tax dollars. Encourage Harrisburg to expand upon recent admirable efforts to help domestic canines in our state to help domestic felines too.
 
Call or email today to join me in this effort any way you can: Christine Arnold, PAWS TNR Coordinator, 717-957-8122, Box #3, words@ptd.net.

 

 

Our Forum Speakers will be answering questions. If you have a question you would like answered regarding feral cats, please email feralcat@pawsofpa.org.

 

Topics include: Introduction to TNR, Conflict resolution & mediation to protect cats, Changing the government's perception of caregivers, Best practices colony management, Veterinarians & Feral Cats, Why Vets Won't Help, Why tame & adopt isn't the answer, Feral Cats in Shelter Environments, The Future of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) & feral cat management in the greater Harrisburg area, Collaboration & a Question and Answer period.
 
We also welcome sponsorships, which are available on the website.

 

What is the number one cause of death of all cats in the United States?
a. Euthanasia in animal pounds and shelters
b. FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus)
c. Being hit by cars
d. FeLV (feline leukemia virus)

Find the answer here (courtesy Alley Cat Allies and Cat Channel).