A few months ago I approached a Cat charity called Whispuring Woods Rescue located in Ocala, Florida USA. I wanted to do a little bit more with my blog entries by means of helping rescue cats and there charities receive more awareness. My thoughts were, if I could reach just one more person to help them out…. that would be huge for them as well as the cats they rescue.
Karin created Whispuring Woods Rescue by herself, she is one woman trying to make a difference for over 50 cats. I find this truly inspirational both as a woman myself and for the help, love and support for the cats she has in her care. Karin has advised that Whispuring Woods Rescue is currently not 501c3. Which means, she is not a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in the United States. Yes, this means Karin funds this out of her own pocket or by donations. Karin helps a variety of different cats in need, this includes getting them out of kill shelters, off of free Craigslist ads, and catching babies born into feral colonies. When a cat or kitten enters Whispurring Woods they are spayed, neutered, microchipped and have all their shots.
I asked Karin five questions and these were her answers, I did very little editing from her responses. I wanted her answers to have the impact she intended. Karin is a truly remarkable woman doing the best that she can do with the money she has, while some people turn a blind eye at the issue we have with overpopulation not only in the USA but all over the world. Please be the solution, and not the problem, spay or neuter your cat.
- What made you decide to establish an animal rescue centre
Seeing all the healthy kittens and cats on death row at animal shelters nearby, I realized I had to do something. They were there because of the stupidity and narrowmindedness of their owners. Spay and neuter should not be an option. It should be mandatory.
My first rescue was thirteen cats and kittens scheduled to die by heartstick. A method that is painful and makes their little hearts blow up. Eleven of them were babies. From a couple weeks olds and just opened their eyes to juveniles ready to become someones best friend. Two mommas were thrown in with these babies. There were more than two litters there. It didn’t matter to the shelter though. They were out of space and these guys had been there over their four day stay. After that, it became a mission to become informed. To check out my neighborhood for the strays that were being trapped and turned over to animal control to die. I found colonies behind stores, restaurants, in wooded areas and just in parking lots everywhere. That’s when I began TNR, trap, neuter and return. No more breeding, no more fighting, cats are vaccinated, spayed and fed regularly.
- My eyes have been opened to the issue of over population regarding cats, what are the main reasons you see why people surrender their pets?
Most are surrendered because of a move, new baby, new girl or boyfriend, and many excuses that are just that, excuses. Also, they get a free kitten or puppy, don’t get shots, don’t train it, don’t spay or neuter, it gets out, they have babies and the cycle continues 3 times a year per pet. So by six months old, even the babies are making babies. It’s a vicious cycle. Affordable spay clinics should be in every county and state.
- If you had one wish that you could make happen, what would it be to help your rescue animals
Adoptions. So many begin their lives here, get healthy and vetted and then there are no outlets for me to expose them to the public for adoption.
- What are the top three items that you need donating
Dry food, litter and money for vetting.
- Other than donating money and items what other things can people do to help an animal shelter?
- Time, volunteer to come and play and socialize with the cats. They only see Karin, so strangers freak them out. They need interaction with others.
- Sharing our posts on Facebook, and Instagram can help, especially if they share our Amazon Wishlist link.
- Used items they no longer need that can be sold in yard sales, auctions or online.
- Help with a bake sale.
- Do car washes
- Help trap
- Foster, adopt, sponsor, share photos, transport, photography
*If I have any followers that could advise Karin at Whispering Woods with any of her business / legal side. I’m not from the USA, so have no background of any red tape or hurdles there are with running a charity or creating a non-profit organization within Florida. If you have any support you could offer her I’m sure she would be very happy to hear from you.
- What awareness issues are there that you may want to inform people about that they may not know.
Feral cats do not destroy birds. They help with rodent control, they live in colonies, so if you remove a colony that has already been spayed and vetted, another colony of un-vetted cats will move in. With an established colony there is no threat of breeding, disease or fighting. Spaying and neutering is the only way to try to get the population to a reasonable number, without killing healthy animals.
I hope you enjoyed this blog entry as much as I helped to create it. If you would like to learn more about Whispuring Woods Rescue please visit their website: http://whispurringwoodsrescue.com/
How can you help, if you can give what you can she appreciates any help she gets!
- Pay Pal Donations
- Amazon Wish List
The Amazon Wish List has many items listed you can purchase and have delivered. I was surprised how easy and fast it was.
- Go Fund Me Page
This fund raiser is to build a 12 x 24 completely fenced catio to attach to the back of the Kitty Kabin
Of course they are also on social media , check them out
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008219497552&fref=ts
FB: https://www.facebook.com/KittyKabinWhispurringWoodsRescue/?fref=ts
Instagram: Whispurring Woods Rescue
