Puuurr: Community Cat Program Re-Launches at Morris Animal Refuge
Puuurr: Community Cat Program Re-Launches at Morris Animal Refuge
Last fall, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Morris Animal Refuge expanded their animal welfare programming by including a Community Cat Program to spay and neuter stray cats in the Philadelphia area. After a successful season and a winter to reset, Morris Animal Refuge is re-launching this program for kitten season 2021 supported by Mac’s Fund, which advances community cat spay/neuter programs across the Philadelphia region.
Through this program, the Morris Animal Refuge offers spay/neuter services to community cats, in addition to vaccinations for FVRCP and rabies, flea treatment, a physical exam, and ear tipping. This program further improves animal welfare and public health in Philadelphia by reducing community cat population growth, which in turn helps get us one step closer to eliminating overpopulation of cats both on our streets and in our city’s shelters.
To jump start the season, there will be a check presentation ceremony at Morris Animal Refuge on May 21st at 1pm. Mac’s Fund founders Clare Morrison and Steve Morrison of Preston and Steve on WMMR will present the funding, which covers a full six months of surgery costs for the shelter!
“We love being able to do this since it helps us give back even more to the wonderful Philadelphia community of animals and animal lovers,” said Executive Director Lewis Checchia. “We’re so grateful for the support of Mac’s Fund in doing this work.”
Community cats are cats that live outdoors, often in groups called cat colonies. While community cats are sometimes referred to as “feral cats”, the phrase “community cat” can refer to a cat of any temperament, whether they are feral, or “unsocialized”, or handleable and friendly. Sometimes community cats are cared for by human members of the community.
After one of the most challenging years in Morris’s 147 year history, the shelter is proud to be continually expanding their programming to help more animals in the Philadelphia region.
The cost of this program is $40 per cat, but thanks to the funding from Mac’s Fund, this program will be completely free to the public for at least six months after launch! Surgery for these cats is by appointment only. To make an appointment, contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 267-951-2353.
