Heartland Pet Welfare, Humane Society of Carroll County Receive Grant to Sterilize Free-roaming Cats

Heartland Pet Welfare and the Humane Society of Carroll County have jointly received a $15,600 grant from PetSmart Charities® in support of a high-impact cat sterilization project. The two-year project, entitled the Zero-Population-Growth/Trap-Neuter-Return Project (ZPG-TNR) will finance spay/neuter surgeries for 379 free-roaming cats in the Savanna/Mt. Carroll area.

“The cat overpopulation crisis in our area has caused too many animals to face a life of homelessness, starvation, cruelty, disease and unimaginable suffering,” said Sue Gerlach, president of Heartland Pet Welfare. “The success of the ZPG project will greatly impact this needless tragedy.”

The project will be managed by volunteers from both Heartland and the Humane Society. The organizations will combine resources, manpower, funding, live-traps and transportation in order to insure the project’s success. Their collaboration is a proactive effort to reduce cat overpopulation and the problems it causes in both communities. The project will simultaneously provide humane care for existing feral cat colonies.

The grant will fund the sterilization of 174 free-roaming cats during the first year of the project. By the end of the second year of operation, an additional 174 cats will be spayed or neutered, resulting in a total of 348 surgeries paid for through the PetSmart Charities® grant.

Heartland and the Humane Society will seek additional funding through local donations and other foundation grants in order to finance another 31 surgeries to bring the total project goal to 379 altered cats. This number has been calculated to be 48% of the estimated total stray and feral cat populations of Savanna and Mt. Carroll. If this goal is achieved, the project will dramatically reduce the unwanted births of thousands of these animals.

To initiate the ZPG-TNR process, Heartland and Humane Society volunteers will target locations where residents, farmers or officials have reported the existence of large numbers of free-roaming cats. After receiving permission from property owners, volunteers will determine the number of cats living in the area, and attempt to mass-trap the entire colony at one time. They will set live-traps that will be monitored by participating residents or volunteers. The trapped cats will then be transferred to a veterinary clinic for a pre-set appointment to be spayed or neutered.

The cats are also vaccinated, and given a wellness examination. After surgery, volunteers will transport the cats from the clinic to temporary cages where they will be held for the proper recovery period. After recovery, the cats are transported back to their home territory and released. Residents or volunteers will continue to provide food and water for the returned cats, and will supervise the colonies in order to report to Heartland or the Humane Society if any cat is in need of future medical treatment or rescue. Food for the cats is provided by Heartland and the Humane Society.

“One of the most important aspects of the Trap-Neuter-Return process is the return of the cats to their home territory,” Gerlach said. “Some people may object to the return of the cats to their neighborhoods, but it’s important that residents understand that this is the only way to effectively reduce the number of these animals. If we sterilize and remove the cats from their home territory, other unaltered cats will simply move in and repopulate the area. Cats are extremely territorial in nature. If we return the altered animals, they protect the territory from un-neutered intruders; and in the meantime, their own numbers diminish over time due to their altered state.”

“We ask that the communities of Savanna and Mt. Carroll be patient as the TNR process plays out,” Gerlach said. “It may take more than a year or two to see its full impact on our cat population. Some people have suggested the use of lethal elimination or relocation to control free-roaming cats; however, these methods are outdated, cruel, and highly ineffective. It may take a little more time to see the affect of TNR, but it has been proven to be the only successful and humane method of cat population control. This fact has been verified by animal experts, and supported through research done by organizations like PetSmart Charities®. “

Gerlach described the ZPG-TNR project as a big hands-on task that will require the assistance of many volunteers. Anyone interested in taking part in this important community project may contact Gerlach at 815-244-6543, or the Humane Society at 815-273-5331. ZPG volunteers are needed to help set the live-traps, monitor the set traps, transport the trapped cats to and from the veterinary clinics, and return the altered cats to their home territories. Volunteers will also be needed to supervise and care for the altered colonies. The Heartland and Humane Society board members will be happy to train anyone interested in participating.

Savanna and Mt. Carroll residents who know the location of feral cat colonies, or any stray cats in need, may also contact Heartland or the Humane Society at the above phone numbers. Both organizations will also gladly accept monetary donations earmarked for the ZPG-TNR project.

Both Heartland Pet Welfare, Inc. and the Humane Society of Carroll County are IRS recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, “no-kill” animal welfare organizations. Heartland was established in 1999 in Savanna, and currently operates a shelter for cats on Wacker Road. Heartland’s mission is to enhance the well-being of companion animals and feral cats. Heartland’s volunteers rescue, rehabilitate, and find loving homes for abandoned, injured or abused cats and kittens. Heartland also offers financial assistance to low-income pet owners to help them pay for their pet’s spay or neuter surgery.

The mission of the Humane Society of Carroll County is to promote the wellbeing of companion animals by providing spay/neuter assistance, encouraging responsible pet ownership, and advancing all activities that alleviate animal abuse or neglect. The HSCC was established in 1982 as an auxiliary group of the Humane Society of Rock Island County in Milan, IL. The group functionally separated from the Milan shelter in 1999 and broke away completely in 2002 to form their own Humane Society, serving all of Carroll County, IL.

“Heartland and the Humane Society are dedicated to improving the lives of homeless cats in Savanna and Mt. Carroll,” said Susana Della Maddalena, vice president and executive director at PetSmart Charities® “By creating projects like this one, they are making strides toward ending homeless-pet overpopulation and improving life for people and pets alike.”

Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues, and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. The largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America, PetSmart Charities® has provided more than $134 million in grants and programs benefitting animal welfare organizations and has helped save the lives of more than 4.5 million pets through its in-store adoption program. To learn more about how PetSmart Charities® is working toward its vision of a lifelong, loving home for every pet.