As someone who has helped feed a feral cat colony, I was interested to know that on May 15th, HSSV will host a TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) clinic for feral cats. I learned that HSSV partners with Peninsula Fix Our Ferals (PFOF) by providing the medical facility for PFOF to perform the surgeries. This partnership can definitely make a major impact on the feral cat population in our area. In HSSV’s 2010 fiscal year, more than 1,400 homeless cats were spayed/neutered in HSSV’s Medical Center alone!
For people who don’t know what TNR is, TNR reduces homeless cat populations by surgically sterilizing cats so they cannot reproduce. TNR, when accompanied by ongoing homeless cat management, is the most effective, humane method of reducing homeless cat populations. Cats are trapped, taken to shelters or veterinary clinics where they are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and have their ears tipped/notched so they can be identified as part of a managed colony. Only healthy cats are placed back in their colony so there is not a health risk to other cats and animals. It is widely known that sterilization helps make cats better community citizens and as a result, colonies gradually diminish in size.
Did you know that TNR actually saves money? I learned that it costs cities up to $250 to pick up, house and euthanize one homeless cat. For the same price, they can spay/neuter five cats! Peninsula Fix Our Ferals will have future spay/neuter clinics for ferals on June 12 and 26 clinics at HSSV.
Want to learn more about TNR? Watch this video.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog sharing my excitement for the then upcoming Fur Ball 2011, a Venetian-styled black-tie soiree hosted by HSSV. As a volunteer preparing for the event, I was in awe of the production organized each year to celebrate supporters of HSSV and looked forward to my participation. Walking into the recently raised sweeping white canopies of the event’s tenting I admired the sea of vibrant table settings and colorful décor. The scale of it all was breathtaking and I knew this event would be unlike anything else I’d ever attended. From the centerpieces of masked dogs and cats, to the collection of animal-inspired silent auction items and the freshly laid grass in the Canine Comfort Area enclosed by a white picket fence next to the human-bathrooms – at the core of it all was the playful and heartwarming reminder that all of this was for the animals.
Now, the proverbial dust has settled and the tuxedos are at the dry cleaners given the likely dog slobber that decorates the shin region of almost every pair. In all, more than $500,000 was raised at the event to support HSSV’s mission to save and enhance lives. The endless encounters of the humans and their animals adorned in festive garb are implanted in the minds of the more than 500 individuals who attended the event as well as the 120 plus volunteers who made it all happen. Whether a guest, sponsor, volunteer or vendor, we all felt IT - the magic of the evening. And I, for one, cannot wait until The Fur Ball 2012!!
