Serendipity has played a large part in my life journey and once again it’s taking charge. A month ago I was firmly ensconced in a comfortable life style – caring for our retirement cats and managing our Michigan-focused cat programs. Taking one day at a time, my only real goal was to help as many caregivers as possible get their cats fixed. Knowing all too well that the primary reason a cat loses his or her home stems from the challenges of living with an intact adult cat – especially when new kittens are free and the cost to fix a cat is out of reach of a lot of many family budgets.Then, as we approach our 13,000th free cat sterilization, a lunchtime conversation opened up the possibility of moving to a new home. The logical choice would have been to house shop in Ann Arbor, but with the Internet making it just as easy to look anywhere – I opened Pandora’s Box only to find the house of my dreams. It’s incredible and even more cat-friendly than our current home. Only problem is that it’s 1500 miles away.
As much as I’m looking forward to settling in my new home --it’s bittersweet -- as it forces the end of our spay/neuter work in greater Washtenaw County. The Feral Colony Assistance Program has already closed to new applicants and the Lower-Income Spay/Neuter program – for both indoor and outdoor cats – will accept applications only until September 30th. All outstanding vouchers will be honored and no new vouchers will be issued to expire after October 31st.
We will miss working with the many vet clinics that have contributed their services at discount rates and all the caregivers who have shared our recognition of the importance of fixing cats and making lifetime commitments to their care. Once we’re settled in our new home, we hope to set up similar cat programs to service our new community. Thank you to everyone that made our spay/neuter programs work.
Kitty - We will certainly miss you and the great work you have been doing in our community. We know it has made a difference for us.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on your new adventure!
Kelly Schwartz
Humane Society of Huron Valley
I am so sorry to hear this news. I did not know your organization existed, and when I heard it did I was overjoyed! Over the spring and summer I have been feeding a whole herd of kitties and I want to do the responsible thing and have them spayed and neutered, but we really can't afford to do this for 18 cats. I wish very much that the Feral Colony Assistance Program was still available, but I understand you are being lead in a new direction. Good luck with helping other kitties.
ReplyDelete