Happy Mother's Day!

  By: Bridget Speiser, Program Manager: CatNiPP

Mother's Day seems like a really appropriate time to reflect on all that the Washington Humane Society is doing to support the effort of animal population control through our various spay & neuter programs. 

While we all love the cuddles and kisses of puppies and kittens, the stark reality is that a real crisis exists when it comes to the number of animals and the number of available, loving homes.  Affordable, accessible spay & neuter services are key in combatting the population boom and really getting ahead of the crisis of available homes.

CatNiPP - the Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program - works through our Spay & Neuter Center to provide spay/neuter and vaccination services to the stray and feral cats that share our neighborhoods.  These services are provided through the work week and then once-a-month we hold a special clinic day on a Sunday, dedicated only to these often forgotten neighbors.  This Sunday clinic is typically held the 2nd Sunday of each month.

Normally I work to coordinate around calendar holidays.  It's nice for the volunteers to not have to choose between family commitments and community support.  But Mother's Day felt like a great day to hold a clinic.

In the past year, through CatNiPP, we have spayed, vaccinated and health-checked 740 female cats without traditional homes or families.  That's 740 kitty-mamas that can relax this year and simply enjoy their retired status.  I know that each of their dedicated community caregivers will be providing them with the very best pampering this holiday, like they do every day of the year.

Of course, there were male cats cared for as well - 668 male cats received services, too.  But we'll give them their day in July!  This weekend is about remembering the mommies!

If you are mommy to a sweet cat (or dog) of your own -- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you!  If you regularly see a kitty in your neighborhood, stop for a moment this weekend and let them know you value them, too.  And we can help with spay/neuter services, if they need it! 

This Sunday, and in the days to come, we will continue to work to reduce the numbers of kitty-mamas until each and every kitten and cat can have a loving home to call her own.  Because every cat deserves a mommy of her own!