Two organizations merge with one mission: help cats

  • By Kyle Valentini
  • December 23, 2011
  • 378
                        
Summary: The merger of the Tuscarawas County Humane Society and Cats-n-Us is now official with both organizations working under one non-profit license. The Tuscarawas County Humane Society Cat Shelter will continue to operate at 829 Union Ave., Dover with a mission of helping unwanted cats find homes and educating the public of the importance of spaying and neutering in order to keep over population under control. With no help from local or state funding, the shelter operates on donations and with the help of volunteers. Last March Cats-n-Us, a local cat shelter asked the Tuscarawas County Humane Society (TCHS) for help in caring for and finding homes for the countless number of cats in the region. TCHS was up for the challenge and began the process of implementing new policies and procedures that would do the most good. To further help the cats in need of homes the TCHS will officially merge with Cats-n-Us and be under the non-profit status of the TCHS as of Jan.1, 2012. “This will simplify things for us as we will only have to report to one board of directors. The board of directors for Cats-n-Us will officially be dissolved,” said Megan Kovalaske, the director at the cat shelter. The name Cats-n-Us will no longer be used. The name will be Tuscarawas County Humane Society Cat Shelter. “The merger will allow us more opportunity to apply for grants and hopefully be eligible for more funding,” said Kovalaske. The cat shelter receives no funding through the county and relies solely on donations from local individuals and businesses. “We just lost our canned cat food donation source so we are always looking for food, both wet and dry. We always need cat litter. Monetary donations are helpful to cover vet costs that are always going up,” said Kovalaske. The shelter is also seeking donations to assist with building repair and maintenance. The shelter is immaculately clean and is able to house 60 cats comfortably. Every cat and kitten in the shelter will be spayed or neutered, have a feline leukemia test, a feline FIV test, heartworm test, wormer, a five-way vaccination, fecal test and flea and tick prevention. The facility is equipped with a screened-in outdoor area for cats wishing to enjoy the fresh air. Cats in the general population roam freely in designated areas. Currently the shelter is housing 100 cats. The shelter averages 20-25 adoptions a month according to Kovalaske. “In November we doubled that and had 50 adoptions. December looks like we’ll have 45 adoptions,” said Kovalaske. Each month the shelter will offer a special on adoptions with a reduced rate. “In January we will have a special on the mother cats that came to us pregnant or with newborn kittens. All their kittens have been adopted and now we want to get them in homes,” said Kovalaske. The current rate for adoption is $40. “We get bombarded with questions about cats. What people don’t understand is we don’t have the manpower to come and trap the 14 stray cats you see in your neighborhood,” said Kelly Schoelles, TCHS board member. “Because we are a no-kill shelter, there are times we have to turn cats away. Our mission is about spaying and neutering. If you spay and neuter your pet you are taking responsibility and helping with cat over-population problem in the county. There are no laws about stray cats and until there are all we can do is continue to educate about spaying and neutering.” The shelter is always in need of volunteers. “We clean every morning from 7-9. You can even bring your kids to the shelter because they can play with the cats while the moms help us clean. It is so good for the cats to get some love,” said Schoelles. “We have a few really good, dedicated volunteers but we need more.” “This merger will allow all the cats to be at one facility. All cats will be vetted at the shelter on Dover Zoar Rd. before they can go to the shelter on Union Ave. This way the clinic at the cat shelter can be used for in-house and not in-take insuring healthier cats for families to adopt,” said Schoelles. The shelter is located at 829 Union Ave., Dover. Shelter hours are Tuesdays or Thursdays, from 5-7 p.m., or Sundays from 3-5 p.m. The shelter is always open by appointment. Cat drop-offs will be by appointment only by calling 330-602-6762.


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