You’re Not A Cat Rescue?
In a word, … No.
This area of our effort is the East Valley Bunny Rescue’s
Feline E-List Program.
We have chosen to work with the Apache Junction Animal Control (AJAC) office in an effort to keep cats and kittens from being euthanized simply to make room for more cats.
We have proven very successful with this effort. In fact, we believe that we’re the only such program that can say this:
“Since we began our Feline E-List Program in October, 05, the Apache Junction Animal Control (AJAC) office has not euthanized a healthy cat.”
That statement would indicate, also, that we, obviously, have found homes for these cats and kittens or we would not have been able to take in the more than 600 cats that we have, so far this year.
As you probably know, in times past, we’ve taken in virtually every “domestic” mammal up through pot-belly pigs. Through the years, we’ve come to realize that a rescue effort - no matter what its purpose - cannot be all things to all people.
It is that realization that allows us to be successful with the Feline E-List Program. We are working with the AJAC to assist that little “corner of the world” with its excessive feline population. We continue to say that we are not a “cat rescue”, by definition.
Only on an extremely rare occasion and/or dire circumstance have we taken in a cat or kitten from any other source. We have synchronized our effort to match the needs of AJAC. We have yet to refuse any cat or kitten that they have considered adoptable. Our “set-up” works like this:
- We call on Monday or Tuesday to see how many cats we will need to prepare for.
- The Mobile Animal Surgical Hospital goes to the AJAC site Wednesday and does spay/neuter on all the “excess” cats mentioned in number one, above.
- We go to the AJAC office, collect the cats and kittens and, of course, pay for for shots, neuters, ear mite treatment, etc, etc, etc.
- At this point, we finally get to see what they look like, what their sex is, their age, etc.
- Thursday morning these “newbies” are adoptable.
Our focus on this effort alone allows us to be extremely successful with cat placements. It gives us the drive to care even more in that we have to have room for another “batch” next week!
We would certainly be remiss if we neglected to mention our PetSmart Adoption Centers in this effort. Since AJAC is rather “off the beaten path”, we see as many prospective pet parents in a two-day weekend at these adoption locations as AJAC sees in two or three weeks!
For instance, we got one group of cats with 10, 13 and 15 year old cats in it. We were blessed with adoptions for even these in their late years!
In another instance, one kind man came in to adopt a kitten and ended up also adopting little Sweetums - a cat with a hyperactive thyroid - knowing that her care would either include rather “pricey” surgery or $1 a day in medication!
We never miss a chance to thank those folks that adopt or promote adopting rescue animals .. Thank You, Thank You!
