PROJECT PURR

Project Purr is an all-volunteer nonprofit feral cat/kitten rescue organization. Geographic areas served: County of Santa Cruz, CaliforniaPrograms: Project Purr is a grassroots non-profit feral cat/kitten rescue organization. Founded in 1987, Project Purr has been serving the residents of Santa Cruz County, California for 32 years and provides a free, unlimited feral cat and kitten spay/neuter program. Our mission includes educating and enabling our community to improve and save cats lives while humanely reducing the feral cat population. Our 100% volunteer organization encourages residents to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) unsocial cats and kittens in their neighborhoods. Project Purr brokered and funds two veterinary partners. In 2019, our organizations program was responsible for spay/neutering 850 cats, not only improving the lives of those cats, but also humanely preventing many kittens being born to an uncertain future.Despite a 100% increase in our veterinary program costs for 2019, all surgeries presented were accomplished. The spay/neuter program includes veterinary exam, FVRCP and rabies vaccine, parasite prophylaxis, microchip, and mandatory eartipping which is a permanent visual identification that the cat has been fixed. This program is completely free, regardless of income, and no voucher required. Unlike other animal rescue organizations that facilitate cat and kitten adoptions and whose adoption fees act as seed money to continue rescue, Project Purr subsidizes volume spay/neuter that has no cost recovery.Most people love animals, many want a better world for them, and a surprising number work hard every day to make that dream happen. All of this comes together in Project Purrs donation based benefit resale shop, Rescued Treasures, now entering its seventh year. Thanks to its success, Project Purr supports life-saving surgeries, volume feral cat spay/neuter, serves as a resource for information on cats and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and has become a model for fundraising success to other animal rescue organizations nationwide.Started in 2008, Project Purrs "Fix n Feed Pets In Need" program continues to collect and distribute donated dog and cat food, which helps homeless, low income, and seniors. Larger bags of food are broken down to smaller three pound bags. The need for pet food has increased and 250 pounds per week year round are distributed. Keeping animals healthy and out of the shelters helps all animals.Entering into its fourth year, Project Purrs "Kits for Kittens: Saving the lives of the littlest program assembles and distributes packets with the necessary items to help community members feed and nurture very young orphaned kittens. Due to the intensive process of bottle-feeding, care taking and socialization, shelters usually lack adequate resources to address all of those demands, resulting in a high risk of euthanasia. Each kit provides a tutorial DVD, booklet, kitten milk replacement with bottle, and other critical items. It also contains information on how to successfully raise the kittens to eight weeks of age when they can be spayed/neutered at low cost and adopted. Kits were distributed to pickup points throughout the county and many kittens lives were saved.Each cat we spay/neuter today saves countless animals from entering tomorrows animal shelters. Trap-Neuter-Return humanely prevents future unwanted kittens, lessens the burden on our animal shelters, saves resources, and taxpayer money.In 2019, through a combination of education and advocacy, Project Purr provided quality care and guidance to our community to improve the lives of feral cats and kittens. Together, we humanely curtail the seemingly endless seasons of kittens to support the shared goal of no more homeless animals. And thanks to our animal-loving community, all of Project Purrs programs are fully funded.