Humane Society of Greenwood is working to identify and help feral cats in their community
The Humane Society of Greenwood, South Carolina is working to identify and help feral and community cats in the Greenwood County area. This may not sound like big news to some, but with so many communities against TNR, it’s good to see anyone out there helping animals.
waiting for surgery
On November 2, the team at Humane Society of Greenwood broke a personal record by performing 49 spay/neuters and posted this milestone to their Facebook page.
“Forty-nine (49) feral and community cats — 18 male and 31 female(!) — were spayed and neutered yesterday — a record! Thank you to Dr. Paula Watkins and Dr. Scarlett Springate for providing their professional services! And a huge “thank you” to staff member, Lacey Miller, and volunteers, Mary Ann Cooper, Sandy Smith, and Laura Egbert for helping make it all happen!! And an even BIGGER “thank you” to the people of our community who trapped the cats and chose to have them sterilized and returned, rather than relinquished to the shelter.”
‘kitten-makers’ being put out of business
This form is being circulated among feral colony caregivers, asking for information on the cats they care for. The Humane Society says they’re ‘developing’ a TNR program, but in reality, a lot of caregivers have been involved in this project for a long time. We spend the evening before TNR clinic out trapping feral cats in the middle of the night, then drop the cats off between 7:15-7:30 a.m.
The cats are fixed on-site one Wednesday each month, given their rabies vaccination and mandatory ear tip, then are picked up around 4:30p.m. the same day. Those who can’t keep their feral baby indoors in the trap overnight are offered overnight lodging at the clinic. The cats are released once the caregiver deems it safe. For females, this can be several days, since glue is used and shouldn’t become wet. This is done at the cost of $25 per cat, a service that could run close to $180 for a female and $150 for a male cat at a private veterinary practice.
ready for pickup following surgery
Every cat TNR’d is one less out there who can add to the growing population of unwanted and abandoned cats. Because that’s what these cats are. Initially abandoned by their family in many cases, these cats go on to reproduce several litters each year.
Great job, Humane Society of Greenwood! If only all communities would come together and offer such a wonderful program. And a HUGE thank you to the feral colony caregivers who take the time to not only care for these cats but to do everything possible to keep them out of the shelter, where they’d most likely be killed.
Photos courtesy of Humane Society of Greenwood.
Elisa