CARIBOU, Maine — Halfway Home Pet Rescue Inc. of Caribou has recently received a grant of $5,000 from the Humane Societies of the United States. Norma Milton, president and founder of the HHPR, described the grant as a “life preserver for Aroostook County homeless cats.”
Milton stated the all-volunteer pet rescue has given shelter, comfort and complete medical care to over 2,100 helpless animals in its seven-year history. HHPR is a non-profit, state-licensed pet rescue that originated in 2009, shortly after the closure of Caribou Pet Rescue.
“Our volunteers are so very, very dedicated to this humane resolution to The County’s feline overpopulation,” said Milton. “We cannot even imagine the number of actual cats we have saved from being born in horrible environments as a result of HHPR spay/neuter initiatives, which are co-opted by our own fundraising as well as the Cleo Fund, SpayMe Fund, Help Fix Me and the Maine Community Foundation efforts through the Belvedere Animal Rescue Foundation.
“At least 40 percent of our cats come from severe poverty situations and/or feral colonies,” she said. “The remaining 60 percent tend to be stray cats, many of them very ill or injured cats, and also from families that are in financial trouble and either homeless or barely surviving due to family emergency situations, unemployment and low income.”
The local organization works closely with counterparts statewide.
“It all ties together,” said Milton, “We network with other southern Maine pet rescues to find enough homes for our cats due to our Adoption Center always being over capacity.”
Volunteers take on the various tasks necessary to maintain the rescue.
“We write grants. We do our own fundraising. We work at the humane resolution of feral colonies with our spay/neuter and release or relocate programs. And we pray,” she added. “Our higher power always seems to make things work out for the best with our kitties.”
She said the rescue carefully vets prospective adoptees. “HHPR is cautious about our adoptions. We require that the applicant be approved by a seven-member volunteer adoption committee. Once HHPR has rescued a cat, we want to be sure that it is not coming back to us as an unwanted pet in later years.”
Milton stated they have been so busy rescuing cats this year that they haven’t had time to issue a public newsletter. “The cats come first, with our highest priority for their immediate health and welfare,” she said. “We trust that the public knows that as soon as we have a few free office hours, we will get to a newsletter. In the meantime, they know we are working for the cats.”
The Halfway Home Pet Rescue adoption center is located at 489 Main Street in Caribou. The rescue is currently again over-capacity and is in need of donations of extra cat litter and food. Milton specified Fresh Step, both clumping and non-clumping, and canned Friskies cat food in “any flavor except beef, which can be hard on stressed tummies.”
The rescue is open for adoptions by appointment only and can be reached at 999-1075, on the web at www.halfwayhomepetrescue.org or on Facebook.
