Rescue Rewards Group of the Week - June 18, 2012
This week’s featured group is a favorite of ours – the Pat Brody Shelter for Cats, located in Lunenburg, Mass.
The shelter was founded in 1984 by Pat Brody as a way to help stray cats. After Pat died of cancer in 1991 there was concern over the fate of the shelter. Priscilla Deschamps, the current shelter director, had been volunteering with Pat for about a year and she stepped forward to take over the shelter with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers.
Much has changed since the shelter began. In 1991 the shelter was helping 80-plus cats. Today, they adopt out 600 or more cats each year. About 75 cats and kittens are housed at a time. The Pat Brody Shelter continues to improve facilities and expand services. As their website states: “All of this work is done by unpaid volunteers and through adoption fees and donations. It's a labor of love which is reflected in the good health and upbeat attitudes of the shelter's feline population.”
Approximately 75 volunteers maintain the shelter and give needed attention to the animals. Volunteers solicit appropriate home-placement for all shelter animals and educate the public about animal welfare issues through the distribution of a newsletter and participation in community events.
In order to ensure that rescued cats do not contribute to overpopulation, all cats and kittens are spay/neutered, given FVRCP and Rabies shots, and tested for FELV/FIV before adoption. One of the unique programs provided by the shelter is to take cats to nursing homes for visits, and to schools for educational lectures. Volunteers also stay busy making crafts for sale, which helps support the shelter.
For more information, go to the shelter’s website at www.catsontheweb.org.