Pets of Milton-Freewater, Inc (Pets of MF) has been operating since 2002.
Encouraged by the interest and support of a local, dedicated veterinarian
clinic, Pets of MF was soon heavily involved in capturing wild and stray
cats in the local area and sending them in to the vet clinic to be spayed/neutered,
vaccinated and the ears tattooed for identification purposes (Trap-Neuter-Return
or TNR).
Pets of MF takes advantage of mobile low-cost spay-neuter clinics whenever possible. Pets of MF hosted the Oregon Neutermobile for two months in 2004 (677 animals sterilized) and the Neuter Scooter for one day each in December 2007 and March 2008 (147 cats sterilized).
Between 2002 and 2007 over 1700 stray and feral cats have passed through the feral cat program and over 850 pets belonging to low-income pet owners were spayed or neutered under the subsidized low-income spay/neuter program.
The Cats Meow Building Supply Thrift Store was opened in 2005 to help provide sustainable income for Pets of MF's efforts. Paula Babb is currently the Store Director and runs the store together with volunteers Randy and Lori Record. The store includes a cat adoption center to place kittens captured in the TNR program that could be tamed, along with stray cats that are already tame. Over 100 animals were adopted out of the pet adoption center in its first year and 272 animals were adopted out in 2007.
Pets of Milton-Freewater initiated and maintains ongoing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs to spay/neuter stray and feral cats in Milton-Freewater (2002 to present), Athena (2005 to present) and Weston (2008) in Oregon. Early in 2008 Pets of MF volunteers assisted in Pendleton, where the rescue group, Pet Utopia, recently started a TNR program. We are currently working on TNR in Helix aiming to spay/neuter 100 cats and the Umatilla Tribes Reservation (where 300 cats and 100 dogs will be spayed/neutered). We are also finishing up the Milton-Freewater Trailer Park Project, started in 2007, where over 200 cats have been spayed/neutered in trailer parks in Milton-Freewater and rural Milton-Freewater. Over 140 kittens, mostly feral, and tame cats were removed from these trailer parks for adoption.
Future Projects in the Planning . . .
Our next project is TNR in the City of Walla Walla
in Washington for 2009-2010. We are basically reaching out, as we can afford
to do so, to offer TNR to all cities within a 30-mile radius of Milton-Freewater,
Oregon, our base. Following Walla Walla, we project we will then start working
on the rural areas of Umatilla County in Oregon and Walla Walla and Columbia
counties in Washington.
Update on Weston TNR - 2008
99 cats were spayed/neutered on the two Spay Days where local veterinarians T. Patrick Kennedy (Milton-Freewater) and Fiona Hillenbrand (Weston) and their vet techs donated their time. 34 more cats have been TNR's since then.
Of the original estimated 105 free-roaming cats in the City of Weston not already sterilized before this project, 95 have now been spayed/neutered. At least three cats had kittens in spring, 2008 and mother and kittens are now spayed/neutered. The remaining three known female cats and 7 toms are hard to catch and will take some time to capture them all but we keep working at it with the help of local residents.
5 cats were spayed/neutered from outside Weston City limits. We are aware of about 20 cats "up the mountain" that still need to be spayed/neutered when funds become available.
A total of 9 tame cats and 8 kittens were taken in for adoption from the Weston Project by The Cats Meow to be adopted out.
Update on Operation Trailer Parks - June 2007-2008
Pets of MF received a $10,000 grant from Handsel Foundation of Freeland, WA in spring, 2007 and a second grant of $5,000 in June, 2008 to complete the project. The grants were specifically to provide free spay/neuter and vaccinations for ALL the cats in trailers parks in Milton-Freewater. The City of Milton-Freewater contributed $1,000 toward this effort and Pets of Milton-Freewater contributed over $5,000 from the thrift store profits.
Primarily orchestrated by Milton-Freewater
resident and Pets of MF volunteer, Marjorie Rakestraw, along with help from
trailer park residents, over 210 cats were captured to be spayed/neutered
and vaccinated between June 2007-2008. Of these, 142 tame strays and kittens
were taken in by Pets of Milton-Freewater to be adopted out. Feral adults
were returned to the trailer parks to be fed and monitored by residents.
Seven trailer parks were involved, two outside the city limits and five
within.
Dale
McKain - webmaster
Last update - June 2008
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