Pet Of The Week – Special Article

Pet of the Week

Our usual weekly article features a couple of our adoptable fur-kids. This week is an informational article. If you regularly read our article, you’re familiar with Have a Heart Shelter and the Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic.  You may not be aware of another great resource in our area. It’s called the Community Cat Project (CCP).  I’m sure we have all seen stray cats here and there, and folks like to keep barn cats to keep the rodents under control, but there is a problem with these outdoor cats reproducing generation after generation. We’ve seen a population explosion of outdoor cats and they have formed feral colonies. If left unchecked, these colonies can literally turn into hundreds of cats in a short time. The Community Cat Project (CCP) is a new and unique Trap-Neuter-Return program in existence since Nov. 20, 2016.  “CCP” is a voucher based program, funded by individual donations.  The program is available to anyone feeding and caring for feral, unowned, outdoor and free roaming colonies of cats in Marion and Baxter counties. Basically how the program works is the Caretaker of the outdoor cats traps them then takes them to the vet to be spayed or neutered with a voucher from CCP, cares for the cat for 24 hours, then releases them back to their original location. Our requested donation for vouchers is $15 per cat and covers spay or neuter surgery, a vaccination against Rabies and the left ear surgically tipped to identify the cat as having been sterilized and vaccinated. The program does not cover any other costs for medical procedures, just the essentials to stop unwanted litters of kittens and to protect against the Rabies virus. If even this low cost is too much for colony caretakers, CCP will work with them to further subsidize or entirely cover the costs if we have funding available. If you have or know of colonies of feral cats, you can contact the Community Cat Project or Have a Heart for more information. There are traps available for loan with a small deposit, and we may be able to arrange assistance for trapping the cats. At this point CCP is out of funds and desperately in need of donations. This is a humane and effective way to bring the feral cat population under control. The CCP is sponsored by the Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic. Donations toward this life saving program are tax deductible and should be made to VLCSNC, P.O. Box 92, Flippin, AR 72634. Please note “For Community Cat Project” to differentiate from general pet surgery assistance funds. Donations of new or used wire traps will be put to use to help more cats to be trapped, neutered and returned. Small towels, soft blankets, polar fleece items and sheets are useful to cover & comfort trapped cats. Canned cat food to use to bait traps is most welcome, as well as bleach & laundry detergent for cleaning/disinfecting trap covers and bedding. You can donate in person at the Shelter. Have a Heart Pet Shelter, the Spay and Neuter Clinic and the Community Cat Project are all 501(c) 3 organizations and donations are tax deductible. We receive no other funding, only donations, and all the helpers are volunteers. If you can’t afford to donate money, maybe you could donate some time to any of these great causes. For more information about the Community Cat Project, contact program coordinator Rose Hilliard at 870-427-4013. More information is available at Have a Heart Shelter, 657 Highway 202 in Yellville. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 9 am to 3 pm. Phone 870-449-7387.