rev:text
| - Our neighborhood has feral cats, and many of my neighbors feed them. As a cat owner myself, I wanted to be compassionate and feed them too. Soon enough, I had unwittingly "adopted" three adorable calico girls
This was fine and dandy until Easter morning a few years ago. I went out to the garage to feed my feline friends, and discovered two litters of kittens nestled in an old wicker basket. At this point, I realized that these cats needed to be spayed...and soon...or our resident cat population was going to increase rather quickly.
Fortunately, the Cleveland APL provides a unique trap-neuter-return program for people trying to care for their feral fur babies. For only ten dollars, Cuyahoga county residents can have a stray or feral cat spayed/neutered, along with a rabies vaccination and an left "ear tipping", done under sedation, to identify the cat as being neutered. The APL has traps for rent, but I chose to purchase my own.
Trapping hungry cats proved to be rather easy, and I soon had all three kitties safely spayed. I was able to eventually find homes for the litters of kittens, and the three calico are now semi-tame, fed and happy.
The Cleveland APL offers additional feline services, including FIV testing, flea treatments and tapeworm injections. An appointment is usually required to drop off a cat, but call them first to confirm. In addition to their TNR program, the APL also offers dog and cat adoptions, animal admissions and humane investigations, designed to end animal cruelty.
If you are interested in adopting a pet, or are in need of animal welfare services, consider patronizing this outstanding organization.
|