Ten years ago, I found a calico kitten sleeping in a work boot on my porch. Ignorant to the genetic impossibility of a calico cat’s being male, I named her Jim, and the name stuck.
For many stray cats in St. Petersburg, the story isn’t as simple. Save Our Strays exists to help when things get complicated. For example, just last year, a concerned resident found a tiny kitten dragging its little body through the family’s backyard. Its hind legs were injured; one had to be removed because of infection, and the other had atrophied. Through Save Our Strays and the love of his adoptive mom, Tommy the kitten now can run and play.
Save Our Strays, Inc. (SOS) seeks to make this happy ending a reality for all local strays. The non-profit, all-volunteer, no-kill cat rescue organization, adopted out more than 400 and cared for a whopping 600 cats last year alone, takes a lot of kibble and a lot of heart. It needs the help of all cat lovers in the community.
There are three main ways to help SOS increase its impact in Pinellas County: embrace, engage, and endow.
First, embracing SOS’s mission means to take ownership. Uncontrolled breeding is a real predicament. Encourage friends and neighbors to spay and neuter roaming strays in your neighborhood. “Trap/Neuter/Release” programs are crucial to minimizing growing stray populations. SOS urges that you advocate locally and at the state level to keep this service affordable as well as adapting stricter control on breeding licenses. Keep cats indoors, away from predators, cars and other threats. Spread the word to potential adopters that SOS not only has a wonderful selection of felines for adoption but also knows them intimately through fostering and can match them with individual families’ unique needs.
Second, engage by volunteering with SOS. Join the more than 50 cat lovers who volunteer at the Cat Haven shelter in Pinellas Park (opportunities to serve are available twice a day, seven days a week), or travel to local pet stores to assist with adoptions on weekends. There are also opportunities throughout the year to help with fundraising events. What makes SOS stand out is the fostering component. Volunteer as a foster cat parent to house strays in the interim of being matched with a forever family. This fostering time allows SOS to learn about each cat’s idiosyncrasies. Good with kids? Friendly to dogs? Likes to cuddle? Getting to know the cats informs the adoption process and ensures lifelong matches. Furthermore, if you have room in your heart and home, adopt! There are special opportunities involving older strays.
Finally, endow Save Our Strays with your financial support. Last year, a small kitten was spotted in a Hampton Inn parking lot in Clearwater. All alone, the kitten appeared to have made a home in the bushes by the entrance. SOS was able to trap the 2-pound kitten and get it veterinary care. Now handsomely named Hampton, he was adopted by a forever family and no longer runs the daily risk of being hit by a car. All cats in SOS care are tested for diseases, given vaccines, spayed/neutered and microchipped. These services are provided through donations by caring supporters. Every dollar donated is tax-deductible and saves local cats’ lives.
If the transformation of scared, neglected cats and kittens into loving companions under the care of this kind-hearted organization warms your heart, then commit to be part of the solution. Whether you can educate your community, volunteer, or donate financially, know that you are joining a mission to save the lives of hundreds of felines in Pinellas County; one set of whiskers at a time.
You don’t have to have unlimited financial resources to make a difference in the life of one of our cats. For as little as $10 a month you can supply a litter of kittens with formula for a week.
$25 will feed 5 cats at Cat Haven for a week
$35 will cover one neuter
$45 will cover one spay
$60 will cover an adoption fee changing the life of one cat and one human indefinitely
$100 will cover 20 microchips upon intake
To adopt, volunteer, or make a donation visit www.saveourstraysinc.com or call (727) 545-1116.
