.
Cat overpopulation ended in several communities on the border between PA & NY in just 5 short years.
Paws and Claws Society is excited to announce that since implementing its “SAFER Cats on the Border Project” five years ago, we have spayed or neutered 2693 stray or feral cats and kittens in several communities on the border between PA and NY, thus effectively eliminating the cat overpopulation problem in five of our targeted areas. Life is good!
During that time, we rejoiced in our progress, cried when we had to make terrible (but necessary) decisions, and have been thrilled to meet and work with dozens of dedicated kitty lovers as we marched slowly toward our goal of making no kill communities.
It all began five years ago in late October when a single phone call opened the door to a partnership between Paws and Claws Society and several local community organizations and independent rescuers. At that time, PACS was asked to help address cat overpopulation issues in PA and the Southern Tier of NY.
From the very beginning, we anticipated that we could help thousands of feral cats by reducing the number of kittens produced in these colonies, by improving the general health and well being of all the cats in the colonies, and by contributing to the dramatic reduction of the spread of disease as a result of the vaccination and testing that goes hand in hand with the spay and neuter. We knew that life for cats in feral colonies would be much improved by the reduction of the stress of reproduction. We also knew that our SAFER Program for feral colonies would also help to cut caretaker management costs over time as the colony cats would no longer produce litter after litter of kittens that would have no future other than life in the colony.
We hoped that our new undertaking would be as successful as our Operation Cape May County venture, which was initiated in 2005. Paws and Claws Society was the major contributing factor in allowing the county to become the first no kill county in New Jersey in just five short years.
Before our new venture was barely three weeks old, our SAFER “Cats on the Border” program had already started to unite and expand a network of dedicated cat lovers longing to create a safe place where cats would no longer be abandoned by the side of the road. We were thrilled to find a few independent TNR rescuers along with Gemini Farm Animal Sanctuary and Maddie’s Meadows Cat Rescue who were all happy to join in and help us to accomplish our mission. And, of course none of this would be possible without the wonderful veterinarians who initially stepped up to help. In particular, Dr. Robin, Dr. Charsa and a special thank you to the one and only Dr. John. Several years later, we were able to expand our spay/neuter efforts by partnering with Dr. Leslie and her SOS veterinary team.
Targeting feral colonies is a huge first step but we strongly believe that assistance for low income pet owners and education is critical for a successful transition to a no kill community. In addition, our experience taught us that it is imperative to gain the trust of colony cat caretakers if we are to succeed in our mission to end the cycle of cruelty caused by cat overpopulation.
When a free program such as ours comes along, people tend to think … if things seem to be too good to be true…usually they are too good to be true. Our team of trappers worked very hard to gain the trust of colony cat caretakers. They proved to them that sometimes there is something offered that contradicts the norm and PACS SAFER Cats on the Border Program was one of those things. We also reached out to mobile home parks in the community and were happy with the response. Residents of the parks were happy to have the assistance, and talking with them pointed us to even more colonies in the community. Word spread quickly that PACS SAFER Cats on the Border Program was there strictly to help save the lives of the neediest cats in the community and to provide free resources to the people who care for them.
It is interesting how so many of the colonies we work with actually become part of our ‘cat family’. The project is mainly about spay and neuter, but it is about so much more. It is making sure the cats in the colonies have medical care, proper nutrition and cozy shelters for the winter. It is letting the colony caretakers know that they have a friend in us, and that we are available to help should they have questions or concerns about the cats in their care.
While the regular TNR work was being done, we were also looking to the future. Finding homes for the adoptables found in our colonies is another critical priority. It is important to remove and rehome friendly and adoptable cats found in the colonies. Colonies often attract strays that were once house pets and once these cats are trapped and handled, many of them revert back to the sweet pets they were before they lost their homes. Along with the friendly strays, it is imperative to remove all kittens. These kittens are often easily tamed and become highly adoptable.
All kittens and cats were spayed or neutered before leaving for their new homes. Other care included Rabies and Distemper vaccinations, treatment for both internal and external parasites, and testing for both FIV and Feline Leukemia Virus. Additional medical and surgical needs were also provided free of charge by Paws and Claws Society.
Unfortunately, the target area was so saturated with cats that few homes remained available for adoption. Because of this shortage of homes, we knew that kittens and cats frequently sit in shelters and rescues, often for months or even years, waiting for someone to adopt them.
Fortunately, Paws and Claws Society long ago formed adoption networks in other states with the development of our highly successful “Circle of Compassion” program. The Circle was designed to encourage rescue groups to work together as partners to best use all resources available to help homeless pets. The Circle of Compassion program provides for the placement of rescued furry friends in wonderful homes by networking with no-kill Paws and Claws Society rescue partners in other regions.
By sending kittens out of the target area, we were able to place them with loving families while opening foster space for other kittens and cats as we worked with each new colony. In addition, this reduced the size of colonies and lowered the cost of feeding the cats for colony caretakers. Also, fewer cats usually make for happier neighbors of a colony.
Throughout the entire process from trapping, transporting, fostering, vetting and recovery to finally returning the fixed cats back to their colonies or in foster homes, our volunteers always worked very closely with everyone involved to insure that every step taken was done as smooth and stress free as possible for both the cats and their caretakers.
Along the way, planning sessions were conducted and additional Paws and Claws Society programs were introduced in the target communities. One such program was PACS very successful Cat Spay Day. First created and implemented in 1995 for Gloucester County, NJ residents, Cat Spay Day has been offered by Paws and Claws Society every year since. Eligible residents including senior citizens, disabled persons, low income individuals, and multi-animal caretakers residing in Waverly, NY were the latest pet parents to benefit from free spay/neuter surgeries as a result of PACS 26th annual Cat Spay Day offered on February 25, 2020.
To summarize, Paws and Claws Society with the help of some very dedicated partners in PA, NY, and NJ has succeeded in reducing stray and feral cat reproduction in five of our target areas in NY and PA to nearly zero. We at Paws and Claws Society gladly shared our knowledge, expertise, programs, adoption partners, and more than $ 838,000 dollars of our private funding. As we look over the past five years, we can point with pride to our many accomplishments in the PA/NY border region.
- $ 495,814 Spay/neuter for more than 2,693 stray or feral cats that included rabies and distemper vaccinations, FIV/FeLv disease testings, internal and external parasite treatment, as well as minor medical care and surgeries
- $ 29,587 Major medical care to treat serious illnesses and injuries
- $ 22,150 Adoption support and networking with our Circle of Compassion adoption partners in New Jersey that resulted in more than 277 felines finding placement in homes with loving families
- $ 65,525 Pet food assistance for colony caretakers
- Cat Spay Day offerings to provide FREE spay/neuter and vaccinations for beloved pets of residents needing assistance
- $ 150,000 Substantial capital funding to Chemung County Humane Shelter to assist them in the building of their new spay/neuter clinic
- $ 75,000 Substantial funding to Shelter Outreach Service to assist in the expansion and support for SOS spay/neuter clinics
Although it is always sad to say good-bye, we know Paws and Claws Society had a positive impact on the wonderful people of New York and Pennsylvania as we happily shared our vision and provided all of the tools necessary to make the no-kill dream a reality. Our final act was to thank everyone for all their hard work and exemplary service, and to wish them our very warmest well wishes for continued success. With that said and done, Paws and Claws Society brought our SAFER “Cats on the Border” Program in PA and NY to a close on December 31, 2020.
.