Town talks MoU with Happy Cat
Happy Cat Sanctuary is speaking about terms with the Town of Strathmore regarding a possible Memorandum of Being familiar with (MoU) for $50,000 toward operational fees.
A delegation from the non-revenue came in advance of Strathmore City Council for the duration of the Mar. 16 typical council meeting to examine their funds and how the funding would be used.
“It is very important for Delighted Cat Sanctuary that we carry on to obtain funding from the Town of Strathmore for us to continue running and continue accomplishing the wonderful occupation that we are accomplishing,” said Barb Stefanich, cofounder of Pleased Cat Sanctuary. “It would be devastating for us, all of our volunteers, the inhabitants of Strathmore and of class, the City of Strathmore if we experienced to close.”
In 2021, the sanctuary rescued 236 cats, with 117 of them coming into the sanctuary right from within just Strathmore. The remainder ended up rescued from around Wheatland County and the Calgary spot.
By way of the Lure, Neuter, Spay and Release (TNR) application, 39 cats had been captured by way of the TNR software and the society described having adopted out 116 cats over the training course of the 12 months.
Should Satisfied Cat Sanctuary be approved for the $50,000 in funding from the City, their functioning spending budget for 2022 would be $126,000.
As a reference, the sanctuary noted around $70,000 a yr in veterinary costs and around $17,500 yearly to retain their storefront location.
Other expenses incorporated $26,000 in administration bills and $15,000 in other assorted operational expenses.
Inversely, the sanctuary averages all around $40,000 a yr in been given donations and $16,000 every year in adoption costs.
Stefanich reported the majority of the food items and litter utilised by the sanctuary is donated and specials have been founded with local vets to lessen bills, which greatly impacts operational prices.
“When we first commenced Joyful Cat Sanctuary in 2003, there have been cats and kittens roaming the streets in substantial quantities. The get the job done that we have done in the past 17 yrs has produced the city practically free of feral and stray cats,” stated Stefanich. “When we acquired the first funding from the city at $33,000 a 12 months, we have been ecstatic. Strathmore is a person of the couple of cities that has actually taken the initiative to support a cat rescue choose care of a cat dilemma in their city.”
Considering that their inception, over 2,000 cats and kittens have been rescued by the sanctuary. In 2018 and 2019, 100 cats have been taken in from the town and observed them new homes. In 2021, 236 cats in full have been rescued, with 50 for every cent coming immediately from the city.
The worry is that if the sanctuary was no more time able to sustainably operate, neighborhood vet clinics and bylaw services would be overrun and bogged down with calls about stray cats.
Councilor Brent Wiley explained even though he went into the meeting skeptical of the sanctuary’s request, his brain was swayed in direction of supporting the idea.
“I went into this seeking to be a grumpy previous gentleman, seeking to minimize cash, and your facts has fully proven me – I don’t think there is potentially a more affordable alternative to this,” said Wiley. “There are most likely men and women in the group who imagine, why don’t we euthanize them all – which is not more cost-effective. It basically would not be cheaper, even if you ended up heartless and claimed to just destroy them all.”
Administration will present a report for council on April 6 for more discussion and will perform with Happy Cat Sanctuary as to no matter whether or not the asked for MoU would be a multi-year arrangement.
John Watson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Strathmore Times
