In the course of the third annual Hope for the Holidays program final month, Paws and Claws Cat Rescue gave vacation items to 75 felines. The native cat rescue shelter works to save lots of cats that face the danger of euthanization. They started the fundraising initiative for the cats in December which is about to proceed till mid-January, as per The Every day Northwestern. By way of this program, folks can present for a cat by protecting the meals and care prices for the animal through the vacation interval.
The price to help every cat is completely different, relying on elements comparable to particular weight-reduction plan necessities and medical procedures. To this point, the marketing campaign has introduced the eye of roughly 50 donors.
Ashlynn Boyce, who began Paws and Claws and at the moment acts as the chief director, has expressed immense satisfaction in this system’s accomplishments. Nonetheless, she admitted that the venture carries a contact of melancholy.
Boyce highlighted that quite a few cats are having fun with a protected vacation for the primary time, the place they obtain care and affection. This side is actually pleasant, she famous. But, she added that “they don’t seem to be of their eternally dwelling,” indicating a barely heartbreaking facet to the scenario.
Paws and Claws have a number of different initiatives aiming to generate funds to keep up feline well being till they safe a everlasting dwelling, she famous. One such venture is the Paw Print Membership. This month-to-month membership offers donors with advantages together with merchandise, unique previews of occasions, and even the possibility to identify a cat. Presently, the membership has 170 members contributing differing quantities ranging from $10 monthly, mentioned Boyce.
Humble beginnings and devoted volunteers
In Might 2023, Paws and Claws launched its first facility. The group previously operated fully on a foster-based system — a component that Boyce emphasizes stays important to their operation. At current, the shelter oversees roughly 100 cats in foster care, offering full help with meals, provides, and medical therapy. Notably, many Northwestern undergraduates and postgraduates tackle the position of foster dad and mom, Boyce identified.
“It’s very nice for college students, particularly those that are actually lacking their pets again at dwelling however can’t decide to long-term adoption,” she mentioned. She additionally said that the shelter’s operation is primarily pushed by the 170 volunteers at Paws and Claws, which solely has three paid workers members.
Future Reinhardt — a volunteer at Paws and Claws — mentioned that together with feeding the cats and sustaining cleanliness on the facility, they construct particular bonds with them throughout their weekly shifts. After adopting a kitten from Paws and Claws the earlier 12 months, which she confessed to having fallen in love with, Reinhardt has discovered volunteering extremely rewarding. She particularly enjoys witnessing the cats step by step getting accustomed to people and seeing their personalities evolve over time.
Paws and Claws celebrated a record-breaking 12 months in 2023 with their highest adoption numbers and the rescue of 514 cats, Boyce confirmed. Sean Johnson, Cat Care Supervisor at Paws and Claws, said that almost all of those rescued felines had been from under-resourced animal management amenities or municipal shelters, primarily from the Chicagoland space and additional afield.
Johnson revealed that in 2024, the shelter aspires to save lots of a complete of 1,000 cats and step by step make use of a veterinary practitioner for very important medical remedies. He’s optimistic about Paws and Claws attaining these targets.
“It’s a really massive aim,” Johnson mentioned. “We’re going to want lots of assist from volunteers and fosters.”
