The warm weather has finally arrived! The cats at the sanctuary are loving their outdoor cat pens and the days lying around basking in the sunshine and fresh air. The windows are open and the air is circulating and life is good.
Unfortunately the phone calls are starting about litters of kittens and unwanted cats. We brace ourselves for these phone calls because we cannot say “yes” to everyone. We have a limited amount of space and, yes, sadly we have a budget that we have to work with in. We cannot take in more than we can financially afford. We have the capacity to house 50 cats and at this point in time we are well beyond that number.
We would tell everyone that they need to contact the shelter that their town contracts with if they need help. If you are low income and cannot afford to feed your pet, we do have a food pantry, but you must show proper documentation. That is one way we can help.
If you cannot provide veterinary care for your pet and your pet is sick, you need to consider the possibility that you should not own a pet. If you cannot afford to neuter or spay your pet, you can apply to the “Help Fix Me” program where you can get your cat done for $10 and your dog done for $20.
There are also spay and neuter clinics out there periodically. Education is your most valuable tool. Make the necessary phone calls and put the time and effort into it, in doing so you can be a part of the solution. You can be the one to make a difference in the life of an animal.
We are willing to help you by giving you advice and information, but you have to be willing to help yourself first. You have to make the first step to saving the life of an animal. How do you stop thousands of animals being needlessly euthanized in shelters around the world?
The answer is really quite simple — neuter and spay your pets. By doing this one thing you will save the lives of thousands. The choice is yours all we are asking is please do the right thing , do the responsible thing.
Thank you for your continued support and as always, thank you for reading our column.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact Lorraine Monfils call 532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
