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2018 Readers Choice Award: Best of the Best Non-Profit

Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation issues grant to local nonprofit

Posted: December 14, 2018

When you’re driving into Stuttgart city limits the sign says population 9,326. “I’m not sure somedays if that’s human count or cat count,” said Stephanie Davis, founder of Purring Paws Rescue & Adoption. “When you walk to the end of your driveway to check the mail cats scatter in every direction. You look both ways down the street and you see neighbors trash being broken into by hungry stray cats and little baby kittens.”

Davis has dedicated her time to focus on looking for humane programs to help Stuttgart with our stray cat population. She became obsessed with the Trap-Neuter-Return Program and knew immediately that the program was what Stuttgart needed. “TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) had to go into place, otherwise the feline stray population was going to continue to grow out of hand in Stuttgart,” said Davis.

According to Davis, feeding bans don’t work. “You can’t ban free-roaming cats,” said Davis. “Trap and euthanize methods are proven ineffective; it’s very expensive for the city. Trap and euthanize is what you call the “Vacuum Effect” the population will feel a void and they will recover/ reproduce to its original size.” Trap-Neuter-Return is more than saving today’s cats: it is the future of animal control and sheltering according to Davis.

The TNR program is a humane and effective approach for the stray and feral cats. TNR improves the lives of feral cats, improves their relationship with the people that live near them and decreases the size of the colonies over time. The program is exactly what it sounds like: Cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian to be neutered or spayed, receive a rabies shot, and ear tipped. After recovery, the cats are returned to their homes- their colony- the outdoors. Kittens and cats who are friendly and socialized to people may be adopted into homes.

TNR relieves the cats of the constant stresses of mating and pregnancy. Mating behaviors cease, like roaming, yowling, spraying, and fighting. Cats’ physical health improves. The population stabilizes meaning no new kittens and the population will eventually decline.

“I was hooked on the TNR program and began to grant write for this program in late September,” said Davis. “I requested a grant for $10,000 to fund this program which would cover around 275+ cats.” The first week of December Davis received a call from the Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation and they wanted to grant Purring Paws Rescue & Adoption the full $10,000 to fund the TNR Program. “I was beyond blessed to receive this news,” said Davis. “This program is going to be huge for the cats and the citizens of Stuttgart all made possible in part by a grant from the Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation.”

Davis would like to encourage citizens to email her here if they have a colony of cats. Include how many are in this colony and where they are located so she can get the colony on the list.

“We were able to get with the Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation to bring their Low-Cost Spay and Neuter cat vouchers to the Stuttgart Animal Clinic,” said Davis. “These vouchers will provide $40 for spay and $20 for neuter.” Apply at: https://www.arkansasanimalrescuefoundation.org/spay-neuter

“We are still taking vet medical bill donations for the cats that enter the rescue from the shelter and the community,” said Davis. “The medical bills get very costly,” Davis adds every cat they pull from the shelter or the community is vetted till they are 100% healthy. They will receive all vaccinations and are spayed or neutered. They are then adopted out to their forever homes. You can mail donations to Purring Paws Rescue & Adoption 217 W 19^th Street Stuttgart, Ar 72160 and follow the TNR journey and adoption stories on facebook @ Purring Paws Rescue & Adoption.

Read the full article: Part 1, Part 2