Pet Talk

    Several months ago the ASPCA honored a grant request for the Houlton Humane Society which has allowed us to set up a spay/neuter program where the Shelter will pay the first $50 toward the cost of spaying or neutering your cat.   The purpose of this grant is to help reduce the numbers of unwanted animals being born, and reduce the burden on individuals and shelters in caring for the homeless.
    This amount of money will pay all of the cost of neutering a male cat, and some of the cost of spaying a female.  So far we have assisted 15 families with this surgery and we have issued 22 certificates for families who have surgeries scheduled.  There is still money left in this fund so if you need assistance, please call the Shelter at 532-2862 and ask for an application.  You must be low income to qualify.  We ask very few questions on our application and if you are already qualified for food stamps, social security or other benefits, then you will qualify for this grant.   
    In the process of administering this program, I received a letter that I wanted to share with you, because this letter tells the story of literally thousands of people in Maine, and across the country.  I am not sharing this to embarrass the writer.  I am sharing this because this writer has a story to tell and we all have a lesson to learn from it.
    “It all started out with only two cats.  But I couldn’t afford to get them fixed.  I did not realize that it would cost so much to fix a cat.  Well she got pregnant and I couldn’t find homes for them so I ended up having to keep them.  This went on two or three times.  I can’t afford any more animals to feed.  Please help, I don’t know what else to do.”
    This lady now has nine cats, none of them are altered and none of them are up to date on their shots, simply because she can’t afford it.  
    She is not a bad person; nobody in this situation is a bad person.  In fact, I’m sure the first two cats were rescues, so she is, like so many others, an animal lover who was just trying to help these first two cats.  We all know families like this, and eventually, if someone doesn’t help this family, and others, these nine cats will be 20, and then what.  She can’t afford to feed nine now, how will she ever afford 20.   There are hundreds of cats up for adoption from the local shelter and other rescues that are healthy and already spayed or neutered, so she’s right, finding homes for hers would be hard, near impossible.
    We are going to pay to have all her males neutered.  We’ve asked her to keep her females inside until they are spayed.  We forwarded information to her on the state program called “Help Fix Me”.  With this program you can have your cat fixed for $10 and your dog for $20.  But this program runs out of money very quickly.  So we are still looking for more help for this family and others like her so that all nine can be spayed or neutered.
    The only reason we didn’t pay for the females is that our grant does not cover the full cost and this family can’t afford the difference between the grant and the actual spay cost so giving them “some” money won’t help in this case.  We can give her $250 toward this surgery but she would need another $250 and the sad fact is she just doesn’t have it.
    I am sharing this story because this is a real situation, a real family, not just me preaching about spaying and neutering, not just me being the “cat lady” and begging one more time for help.  This is about a real family who is having serious financial challenges, a family who wants to do the right thing but just can’t afford it.  And I’m sharing this story because this could be you.   It started out with just two cats.  In your case it could be just one cat, but she’s an outdoor cat, and your neighbor cat isn’t fixed, and before you know it, your one cat is nine, and then 20.
    We can help you spay or neuter your one cat.  Let’s take care of this now before you are over-burdened with animals you cannot afford to feed.   We want to help you and for once, we have a little bit of money to help, all you have to do is ask.
    Thank you for all you do for the animals and for all you do to support your local rescue group, whether it is Houlton Humane or another organization, all that matters is that the animals benefit.