When you sponsor a voucher for $100 or donate towards one, you are doing so much more than getting a guy like Felix the surgery and medical attention he needed. Neutering, vaccination, and getting Felix the antibiotics he needed changed his life, as he is no longer fighting and injuring himself to create more litters born outside.
But sponsoring vouchers does so much more!
In underserved areas, there are huge numbers of cats multiplying with no assistance - financial or otherwise - to residents for TNR.
Many residents in these areas are desperate to break the cycle of cats born outside to suffer, and are willing to become caretakers who TNR, but even the discounted surgery package at PFA is beyond what they can afford. It's here that your donation sparks a chain reaction.
When a voucher recipient receives a voucher, we give them the funding and support needed to become trapping caretakers of their own colonies. We lend high-quality traps, provide instruction and training, and support them through the process of trapping, holding, transporting and returning cats from People for Animals walk-in TNR surgeries. Thanks to your donations and Kathy's tireless fundraising through the eBay store, residents in need can request and receive vouchers until their entire colonies are fixed, and then continue to watch for newcomers, knowing that they can reach out again for help from us. In a matter of weeks, these determined caretakers have prevented litters and been able to trap on days when convenient for them, using walk-in appointments and working around their own busy schedules.
Many of our recipients have multiple jobs and family responsibilities, but they are determined and keep fixing cats, no excuses! They understand what many feeders refuse to realize: that the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Vouchers allow them to take action.
Thanks to the 50 Feral Fix Program, these residents no longer are just feeding and wishing that something could be done to prevent the suffering and injury that cats born outside face--they are proactively becoming caretakers and preventing further kitten seasons in their yards.
Sponsoring vouchers is far more effective than our old model of offering to trap for people who were feeding but not willing to be responsible for trapping or transport. In most cases where we or other "independent trappers" are called to locations, the colony does not remain under control because the feeder ultimately does not see TNR as their own responsibility. Why would they? A TNR service can be called to care of it. There is no incentive for that person to monitor or keep fixing any new cats; they will simply call back when the colony has new litters of kittens or many new cats, at which point we may or may not have had any help to offer due to full shelters, rescues, and lack of funds.
By sponsoring vouchers, we are empowering and creating caretakers that will continue to care for and monitor their colonies, making sure that unfixed newcomers are not allowed to breed and above all, being in control of the population. They will not panic when they see a new cat, and have all of the tools to take action.
Let's look at some math: if Kathy and I come and trap a colony over the weekend, we spend two 12 hour+ days trapping and additional days transporting and holding for just one location. In that same weekend, if we put the funds into vouchers and supporting new caretakers, we can have colonies being trapped in multiple locations, with far more success because the trappers are familiar with the habits of their own colonies and have relationships with other people feeding cats in their neighborhoods that they assist once they have fixed their own.
When you sponsor a voucher, you are fixing and vetting a cat, helping a community in need, and empowering a hardworking caretaker is committed to fixing not only their own colony, but helping others to do the same in their neighborhoods.
I can't think of a more effective way to stretch a donation for outdoor cats and underserved communities in New Jersey. Please consider "spaying it forward" and help us keep this amazing program going. We will not let the vet shortage stop TNR!
