Havahart® is excited to announce the launch of the Havahart® Shelter Helpers contest! At Havahart®, we care a lot about animals, so we want to give back to the animal shelters that go above and beyond. That’s why we’re giving away Havahart® Feral Cat Trap Rescue Kits and a grand prize of $1,000 to help shelters in their trap-neuter-return efforts!
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the humane approach to controlling feral cat overpopulation and ensuring the best possible life for feral cats. Many shelters have joined the TNR movement, but the process can be tricky without the right resources. That’s where Havahart® Shelter Helpers can help!
The best part? You get to choose the shelter who wins!
And the Winner Is...
We asked, and you answered. After months of voting by the shelter and Havahart® community, we finally have our winner. Congratulations to the Pat Brody Shelter for Cats! They will receive a grand prize of $1,000 to aid their trap-neuter-return efforts!
Pat Brody Shelter for Cats
Pat Brody lived in Lunenburg, and in 1984, her love for cats led her to open a shelter to help stray cats. After volunteering with Pat for about a year, Priscilla, the current shelter director, stepped forward and kept the shelter open with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers when Pat died of cancer in 1991.
At the time Priscilla took over, the shelter was helping over 80 cats. Today, they adopt out over 600 cats each year. Adoption fees and donations allow them to continue improving their facilities and expanding the level of services offered, with the help of unpaid volunteers. This shelter represents a labor of love that is reflected in the good health and upbeat attitudes of its feline population.
The shelter's mission since day one has been to rescue stray and abandoned cats to make their lives safe and happy until they are able to be adopted into their forever homes. They say "We can all make a big difference by each helping just a little." Well they have succeeded in doing that for over 30 years, and it seems the community agrees!
Congratulations to all the staff and volunteers at the Pat Brody Shelter for Cats! Keep on doing all that you do for the felines in your community. Stay up to date with this extraordinary shelter by visiting their Facebook page or website.
Our Other Finalists:
Thank you and congratulations to the other 14 shelters that were nominated from across the country for going above and beyond in their communities. Each of the shelters who made it to the voting round will receive one Havahart® Feral Cat Trap Rescue Kit.
- The Humane Society of Schuyler County - a limited admission, no-kill shelter. They are the only full-service animal welfare organization serving the needs of their community. They provide shelter for stray animals, offer animals for adoption, and provide a low-cost spay/neuter program.
- Cat Coalition of Western Maine - an all-volunteer no-kill organization providing TNR services for feral cats in Western Maine. We offer sanctuary or adoption to kittens and to those cats that cannot be returned to the location of the feral colony.
- Stray Rescue of St. Louis - a no-kill shelter in the city of St. Louis. Their sole purpose is to rescue stray animals in need of medical attention, restore them to health and place them in loving adoptive homes.
- The Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center - one of the largest regional animal control programs in Massachusetts, providing 24/7 animal control services. The shelter provides temporary custody for over 3,200 stray and abandoned animals each year.
- Cat's Cradle of the Shenandoah Valley - serves several rural counties in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Cat's Cradle facilitates over 1,500 spay/neuter surgeries each year, including owned cats and TNR. Their aggressive spay/neuter programs have resulted in dramatic decreases in shelter intake.
- Villalobos Rescue Center - a rescue, rehabilitation and placement facility for abused and abandoned pit bulls. With an average adoption rate of about 5 dogs a month, Villalobos is the largest pit bull facility in the world, with approximately 150 dogs in its care at any given time.
- Whiskers, Tails and Ferals - an organization that relies on generous donations and fundraising. They adopt out approximately 1,000 animals per year and are there for them forever, no matter the time or cost.
- Street Paws - a foster-based rescue, Street Paws has saved over 150 animals from the streets, private citizens and shelters. In that same amount of time, more than 250 cats have been TNR’d. Street Paws provides care for more than 50 feral cats in the many colonies living on the streets.
- Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee - a nonprofit organization dedicated to the care of feral cats. They implemented a TNR program in which feral and community cats are trapped, altered, vaccinated and returned. Since FFF began in 2004, over 9,600 cats have been fixed!
- Young-Williams Animal Center - an organization that strives to manage the pet overpopulation in the region. Working in partnership with the community, local businesses and non-profit organizations, they are making a positive difference in the health and happiness of the pet population.
- FOWA Rescue - an all-volunteer nonprofit rescue organization based in Wayne, NJ. Serving the North Jersey area, dedicated to the welfare, sheltering and placement of homeless animals in need of loving forever homes.
- The Caruthersville Humane Society - d.b.a. Pemiscot County Animal Welfare Society. It was founded with the simple mission of sheltering animals that are surrendered or found abandoned and homeless. They educate the public on the importance of spaying/neutering in order to reduce stray populations.
- The Central California SPCA - nonprofit humane society located in Fresno County. Free ambulance service and shelter is provided for lost or stray animals in the city of Fresno. They provide services for all stages of an animal’s life: adoptions, outreach, spay/neuter programs and pet services.
- The Free Roaming Feline Program - a small but highly effective no-kill feline rescue group located in northeast Wisconsin. They rescue stray and abandoned cats and kittens, care for them in loving foster homes and find them the perfect forever home, no matter how long it takes.
Additional Prizes
As mentioned previously, although only one shelter will win the $1,000 grand prize, every animal shelter that is selected by Havahart® and makes it to the voting round will receive one (1) Havahart® Feral Cat Trap Rescue Kit.
Eligibility
As previously mentioned, in order for a shelter to be eligible for the voting round, they must hold 501(c)(3) status and execute or work with trap-neuter-return programs. See Official Rules for full details.
