So many cats to help and the Plumas County has NO plan
By Friends of Plumas County Animals
It has been a while since the column has been updated, but that does not mean the volunteers at Friends have been idle.
We have been really busy caring for kittens, kittens and more kittens. It has been an honor and a lot of fun, but the endless stream of babies that have no homes has brought home a bitter truth—Plumas County has NO plan in place to deal with the numbers of unhomed animals that are produced. In the 4.5 months Friends has been in our new facility we have accepted and rehomed more cats and kittens than in the last 8 years! The endless supply has to be curtailed and is why Friends has applied for a grant through UC Davis to start a TNR program. The grant would enable our non profit to work with existing veterinarians and a mobile vet from out of county to spay /neuter a lot of animals and avoid the birthing of so many kittens.
We won’t know until the middle of November if the grant is accepted and the amount we might get, but we are hopeful. This would be the first and only true TNR for feral animals in our county and it is much needed. Greenville currently has a feral cat crisis—after many being lost or abandoned when the fire went through last year and then adding those numbers to the homeless cats that survived the Dixie that were living in the area already. A dedicated group of people have been trying their best to reduce the populations but an extreme effort and lots more money is needed to produce a close to zero population growth in ferals. Almost every trailer park in the county has a feral cat problem and we get daily calls about cats having kittens in cars, sheds, under porches, in campgrounds, etc . Friends would be working in all towns and areas to help trap and alter and then return the cats to their familiar home ground.
This will be a lot of work and lot more demand on our volunteers to care for the site and animals while doing the TNR program also. The grant is a 3 year “give” so the commitment is huge for our group. Luckily we live in an area that is a true community and have already been reaching out for potential help in trapping and for overnight housing (in heated garages, tack rooms, etc) of animals after surgery. Cats that are heavily pregnant and unable to be spayed at time of trapping will be housed outside in special kennels at the Friends facility. The animals would be allowed to give birth in a safe atmosphere and when the kittens are 4-5 weeks old they would come into rescue and she would then be spayed and returned to her original location.
We look forward to helping the animals by minimizing the numbers of unwanted babies, while finding homes for those who will be produced.
With so much energy and grant money expended we realize we still have the facility and the current 20+ kittens and cats there to care for. None of the grant money can or will be used to run the rescue, so please do not think we will be “flush” with funds. Winter is upon us and heating and lights, food and medical care are costly. Friends still depends on the good wishes of our generous neighbors and we hope you will continue to support the rescue while we work our magic all over the county.
Friends of PC Animals is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and all donations are tax deductible. All donated monies go directly to the care and comfort of the rescued animals, no money goes towards salaries or administrative fees. Friends is not a county entity. Donations can be sent to Friends, PO Box 182, Quincy 95971 or be brought to the site at 1093 Lee Rd. Thank you
