A few hours each week could change the lives of stray cats in Forest Park.
Volunteer teams make the difference.
You've seen stray cats in the alleys and on the streets of your neighborhood. Many are hungry, tired, and in need of shelter. Others have been living outside their entire lives. Some are ill. Others are pregnant.
In fact, the Humane Society estimates that thousands of stray cats live on Forest Park streets. Twice a year, cats have new litters and the difficult situation gets worse.
We need you to volunteer for a team to care for vulnerable cats in Forest Park.
These vulnerable animals need food and water on a regular schedule. They need to be spayed and neutered. They need safe shelter and regular assessments for medical issues. The C.A.T.S. program is designed to assist stray cat colonies in Forest Park with these needs. You can help!
Volunteer Positions
Volunteers work in a team under the direction of the Cat Colony Manager - all volunteers focus their efforts on the care of one colony.
Cat Colony Manager/Team Leader
• Co-Leaders are encouraged!
Feeders
• Breakfast
• Dinner
TNR: Trap-Neuter-Release
• Capture
• Release
Cat Colony Monitor
• Monitoring can be shared
Kitten Care
Friendraisers
• Supporters
• Educators
• Event Planners
How You Can Help
Cat Colony Manager
Serves as the team leader (or co-team leader) for a specific cat colony. Coordinates volunteer team and serves as point of contact for the Animal Care League. Holds team meetings as needed, and communicates/negotiates with neighbors regarding questions and concerns about CATS Program.
Feeders
Provides food and water in CATS Program bowls according to specific feeding schedule for breakfast and dinner. Volunteers can sign up for breakfast or for dinner - or for both shifts.
TNR
Volunteers who assist with Trap-Neuter and Release activities are responsible for the entire process of capturing strays, delivering them to the Animal Care League for surgery, picking them up afterward, housing them overnight and releasing them the following morning.
• CAPTURE: Volunteers pick up traps from the Animal Care League, set them and capture animals to be spayed or neutered. Volunteers are responsible for picking up trapped animals and dropping them at the ACL office according to the assigned schedule of surgical procedures for stray animals. Coordinate pick up with RELEASE volunteer.
• RELEASE: The Release volunteer picks up the treated stray at the ACL offices at the appointment time, keeps the animal in a warm dry place overnight and releases them to the colony the following morning.
Cat Colony Monitor
The Cat Colony Monitor visits the colony once a week (every Saturday) at the morning and evening feeding to perform the following documentation in the monitor log: photograph the colony as they eat during the day, count the cats and kittens, noting the number spayed and neutered, note changes in colony and print pictures to paste into log for week.
Kitten Care
Foster kittens found in your colony until loving homes can be found for them.
Friendraisers
You can join a team to ensure the care of stray cats, even if you can't feed, trap or monitor cats directly. We need friendraisers!
SUPPORTERS: Solicit donations of cat food, supplies and resources to support our efforts.
EDUCATORS: Distribute educational flyer to tell your neighbors and friends about our program and what we are working to accomplish.
EVENT PLANNERS: Help organize and support our special events to raise funds for our efforts.
Donate
Your tax deductible donation to the Animal Care League, our fiscal agent, goes directly to our efforts to feed, monitor and spay/neuter cats in Forest Park. We are an all volunteer organization working to improve our community and the lives of our human and feline neighbors. We appreciate your kind donations to support our work.
For more information contact:
Michelle Melin-Rogovin at
cats4forestpark@gmail.com
