No More Room at the Inn for Savannah Cats
(Savannah, GA) - June 19, 2007
It’s a problem seen every year, and rescues continue to expend all the resources they can to make a difference.
“But there are just far too many of them,” says Coastal Pet Rescue president and founder Lisa Scarbrough. “We get an average 10 inquiries a day about a group of cats or a litter of kittens. We just don’t have any place else for them to go.”
And that’s not uncommon. Call most any rescue in this region, not just Savannah, and expect the same response.
Coastal Pet Rescue even has cats that have been in the program for over two years.
“We just don’t get enough adoptions,” says Scarbrough. “We can’t commit to take more in when we haven’t been able to place the ones we have, and we get hate emails when we have to say ‘No’.”
So what is the solution to Savannah’s overwhelming cat overpopulation?
“Spay and neuter, that’s all it takes,” says Scarbrough.
While Coastal Pet Rescue is unable to take any more cats or kittens into its foster program at this time, it does offer spay and neuter assistance through its feral cat program, The Milton Project.
“This is not just a rescue problem, it is a community problem,” Scarbrough says. “Through The Milton Project, any member of the community can contribute to controlling the overpopulation.”
Cats and kittens trapped through The Milton Project are spayed and neutered through the newly-formed Spay/Neuter Alliance and Clinic in Ridgeland, SC, commonly referred to as SNAC.
If the rescues are all full, where are the homeless cats to go?
“It’s a sad reality, but usually Animal Control is the only other alternative,” says Scarbrough. “That doesn’t have to be the fate for all these cats. We have exceptional volunteers who can offer guidance and assistance to anyone willing to help us in this problem, but that is just it: we need more help.”
To have a feral cat spayed or neutered, visit http://www.TheMiltonProject.org to submit a report. To adopt a cat or kitten and make room for others to be rescued, visit http://www.CoastalPetRescue.org.
Coastal Pet Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, abused and neglected dogs and cats in Savannah and surrounding areas. Founded in February 2003, Coastal Pet Rescue changes the lives of homeless pets in Chatham, Bryan and Effingham Counties through its foster home program and small capacity shelter, Camp Pawsawhile Retreat.
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