|
|
How I can Help You
I know you would like me to take the feral or stray cats off your hands and find them loving homes. Unfortunately, this is not possible. For all the homeless cats in the United States to have an indoor home, each US home would have to have 49 cats. Since this isn't much of a reality, we need to do all that we can to curb the population of our feline friends, both owned and stray/feral. Trap-Neuter-RETURN is a practice set forth by Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/) and is the humane solution to the cat overpopulation problem.
Taking a feral (wild/untamed) cat to any shelter or humane society will result in it's being immediately killed. Never take a feral cat to a shelter!
If you are willing to feed and shelter the cat, I can help you with the TNR part! Please note that the R in TNR is for RETURN...not merely RELEASE! A cat needs to be RETURNED to where you found it. Simply dumping a cat in another location is cruel. Cats live in colonies with social structure and will basically kill themselves trying to get back to their colony if not properly re-homed. Never just take a cat to a different location and consider the problem solved!
I will guide you through the whole TNR process. Join the hundreds of people I've helped get their neighborhood cats fixed and enjoy watching them live out their lives without reproducing!
I can loan you live traps. I can guide you in trapping. Read the link "How to Trap a Cat" on this website for detailed information. If you can't take the cat to C-SNIP (our area low cost spay neuter reachable by phone at 616-455-2880), I can take the cat and have it fixed for you.
You can bring me trapped cats 4 evenings per week (Sunday-Wednesday) typically between 6-8pm. I'll need you to call me first however. We will meet at my rehab facility located in NE Grand Rapids.
Once I have cats in my possession, I will give them a final meal of the day then shortly after will begin their pre-surgery fast. Spay/Neuter surgery will take place the following morning. My vet is Dr. Bruce Langlois of The Animal Hospital of Lowell. He and his team will anesthetize the cat while in the trap and perform surgery. If you wish to have the cat tested for Feline Leukemia/FIV or given any vaccinations, that can be done at the same time. There is a small fee for these additional services. The fee for spay/neuter can be discussed via phone. Based on situation, some surgeries can be done on a donation basis. I will pick up the cat later in the day and bring it to my rehab facility where I will keep it in a comfortable cage with a bed, food and litter box. I will monitor the cat to make sure it is recovered enough to be released back where you trapped it. Cats are usually kept between 1-3 days.
I'll call you to pick up your cats and you can release them and sign "Born Free" and know that you've done right by the kitty! All cats are fixed, treated for fleas, ear mites and basic parasites. If you feel the cat has any other health problems or injuries, they can be evaluated once they are under anesthesia.
For every cat that you have fixed, you are circumventing the unwanted births of 11,000 cats over the next 5 years! Imagine the difference we can make together!
Let me help you, help the cats in your neighborhood!
E-mail or call me!
Carol Manos
616 560-0555
dollmouse@aol.com P.S. Pregnant cats MUST BE FIXED immediately! Don't allow another unwanted litter to come into this already overpopulated world. If you need more convincing...read "REALITY CHECK" on this website.
P.S.S. If I'm not telling you what you want to hear, I'm sorry...but I know the reality and I want you to know it too. Shelters, Humane Societies and No-Kill Sanctuaries are full to capacity. Anyone who is more than willing to take your cat and doesn't offer any other guidance should be closely examined. Many well intentioned people become animal hoarders and do more harm than good once they get in over their heads.
P.S.S. Don't be tempted to just give animals away. Read "NO MORE FREE KITTENS" on this website for more information about the perils that "FREE" animals face!
|
|