To the editor:
It is always the season to not litter. Not only is it illegal to litter in Maine, but it is punishable with a hefty fine. This is for the good of the environment as well as the scenic value of our tourist season. I do love seeing this law strictly enforced by our police department.
Aroostook is scenically beautiful. We don’t need garbage along our roads. It is also politically correct to ask that one not litter with the cat overpopulation, but to deal with this issue in a humane and inexpensive method through sterilization. Help Halfway Home Pet Rescue volunteers stop cat littering by responding to any of the programs listed below. Help stop the littering of unwanted cats and kittens this spring 2015.
1. For domestic cats there is a cheap sterilization surgery available through the SpayMaine (Cleo Fund, Marian’s Dream) Hotline. 207 809-5116. Make the phone call and you will receive a spay/neuter surgery voucher by mail within a few days. At the vet, you pay only $5 for the surgery. There is no big application process or long form to complete. You get the voucher in a few days. Hurry, they just received another fresh supply of grant money.
2. The Help Fix Me via Maine Animal Welfare Dept. can be reached at 1 800 367-1317 for a low-income voucher of only $10 per cat. This $10 includes distemper and rabies vaccine as well. Your phone message should be your telephone number, number of cats and your mailing address. They will send you a voucher application to complete. With the application you will need to send a check for $10 per cat, and photocopy proof of income for social benefits (for any of the following i.e. SSD, SS, MaineCare, TANF, Food Stamps, etc.) you will receive a voucher back which will pay the vet for the surgery and shots. The department has recently been much better in answering the applications — sometimes within two weeks.
3. The state animal welfare now has vouchers for rescues and shelters who help with feral cat colonies. yea! HHPR is presently working on spaying/neutering several feral cat colonies in Caribou and surrounding communities including Presque Isle, Woodland, Mapleton, Connor, Fort Fairfield, Caribou and Limestone. We have been doing this for 11 years at our own expense and now there is financial help. You do not have to be part of a pet rescue or shelter. If you are a farmer with a colony of feral cats in your barn in which you would provide sheltering and feeding to continue after surgery, than you can get this barn colony fixed free by the state of Maine Animal Welfare Dept. One phone call can solve your problem of endless unwanted kittens in your barn. Farmers find that mice and rats ruin their expensive cattle and horse food. A few Cat Rodent Patrollers can take care of this problem and because they are spayed there are no unwanted litters and this method is environmentally friendly because no poison is necessary in which the farmer’s other animals or kids might accidentally get into. Another win-win.
There are not enough homes in Aroostook. In parts of southern Maine the push to spay domestic cats and of feral cat colonies (warm shelter and feeder provided for the feral colonies), prove the program has worked. Those same area shelters are now calling Aroostook County pet rescues and shelters for our over-populated cats. It is a win-win situation for the cats and for the communities as it does not cost the community extra tax dollars.
We, at HHPR, started faithfully networking with downstate shelters and caregivers about three years ago when we found out some southern Maine shelters were importing cats from other states for adoption in Maine. Wow, did this idea spread like wildfire and basically now all shelters in The County have joined the network and are saving more lives than they would otherwise be able to save. It is all about the cats for the cat lovers, and tax-free service for the communities interested in environmental and community cooperation and control in a safe and humane method to curb cat over-population in Aroostook.
Call 999-1075 for more information.
Norma Milton
Caribou
