[Vision2020] Caturday (December 8, 2012)

[Moscow Cares]

Courtesy of WSLS-TV (Roanoke, Virginia) at:

(Video)
http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/dec/05/barn-cat-buddies-serves-special-need-ar-2400755/

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Barn Cat Buddies serves special need

Lois Slotnick can hardly say no to an animal even the alpaca who made a guest appearance during our interview. Her extended family includes eight cats, all of them rescued.

“I love animals and it breaks my heart when I hear that animals are being put down because there's no place for them,” she said.

So Lois makes the space, sometimes inside and sometimes down in her barn. That is where Sandy lives. She’s a rescue through the program Barn Cat Buddies, a local program with a very specific goal.

Diane Novak is the program coordinator.

“We look for nontraditional homes, alternative homes for cats that aren't that social that you wouldn't keep normally in a regular home situation,” Diane said.

So instead of finding a home for a cat ready to curl up in your lap, they’re taking feral cats and finding them an outdoor setting like a barn, garden center, or shed. In those locations, the cats can live comfortably and even earn their keep, chasing mice and other rodents.

Since 2007, Barn Cat Buddies has saved hundreds of cats, many deemed unadoptable.

“This year alone we've taken out about 85 cats from four different shelters that were either on the euthanasia table ready to be killed or were destined to be killed in another day,” Diane said.

Lois says it can take a few weeks for the cats to feel comfortable in their new homes, but in her experience it doesn't take long before they are part of the family. And, in the end, it’s a win, win.

“I would say the experience and the rewards of having the pets there and knowing that you saved them is more than you can imagine,” Lois said.

The program is staffed by volunteers only and has very little overhead. In fact their only costs are vet bills. The group is holding a fundraiser to cover some of those costs. It's a bowling benefit this Saturday. You can find more information at the Barn Cat Buddies website.

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Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares"
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
  
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