Over 1100 cats have been spayed or neutered in Pictou County since 2011 and last year alone there were nearly 200 kittens removed from feral cat colonies and adopted.
“It’s feral cats that we deal with. Once we trap them and take them in, we get them spayed or neutered and get them checked all over,” Allison Marshall told The News. She’s been volunteering with Cat Rescue Maritimes (CARMA) for two years now.
The cost associated with vet bills, including spaying/neutering do add up, and CARMA raises the money to keep up their work through donations.
“It all goes toward the cats. None of the volunteers get paid. We don’t have a CEO or anything that it would go to,” said Marshall. “Other than fundraising costs, what we try to spend all out money on is vet bills.”
“It’s more of an epidemic than we think. It’s a real issue, we’re finding colonies all over Pictou County. We still have a huge wait list for people who call and say that they have a colony near-by.”
April is a big fundraising month for CARMA.
On April 6, Wranglers Bar and Grill is getting turned into an all-night dance featuring five local bands.
- Trilogy
- On Raven
- Hot Mess
- Mike and the MacPhersons
- False Pretense
Admission by donation, pizza provided by the Westville Acropole will be sold on-site at five-dollars per-slice, 50/50 and a silent auction, plus the live music will all be running between 8:00 p.m. and 2 a.m. that evening.
“We did it last year and it was a big success,” said Marshall.
CARMA also offers a lot of logistical support for people who want to volunteer their time as feral cat caregivers.
“We take them back to where they came from, but we make sure there’s a caregiver there who is going to feed them and give them shelter,” said Marshall.
Being a care-giver with CARMA doesn’t cost a thing because the group provides the cat-food and any other things that might be needed to establish a stable and safe colony.
Once the colony is stabilized, some of the younger, less feral denizens can even be adopted into homes. In 2018 CARMA helped find homes for nearly feral 200 kittens.
Other opportunities to show support this coming month will be on April 13th at the Global Pets store in Stellarton. There will be an Easter Bunny Photo shoot, and a photo printer on-site to ensure customers will get their photo as soon as it’s taken.
The photo shoot is for people’s children and/or pets.
Finally, on May 18th there will be a yard-sale at the Sharon St. John Church in Stellarton from 9 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. People are also encouraged to contact CARMA if they have anything household items that they ma want to donate.
“It’s a huge hall. We can fit furniture,” said Marshall.
Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer can call 782-233-2287, or email [email protected]
