It gives us immense pleasure to bring you more good news from The Dr. Jane Foundation! Here, we sing the praises of one of our 2016 recipients, Florida-based Elinore’s Dream, Inc. Headquartered in Ft. Pierce, this dedicated animal-welfare group has made significant inroads towards ending the cycle of feline overpopulation in their local South Florida area.
This no-kill non-profit seeks to humanely reduce cat overpopulation through a multi-tiered strategy: the provision of spay-and-neuter services for homeless cats; placing adoptable kitties in forever homes; education of their local community on the necessity of preventative care; and advocacy on behalf of humane public policy as it pertains to non-lethal caretaking of feral cat populations.
Feline overpopulation has proven extensive in the Ft. Pierce area. Well over a third of the people live below the poverty line, which is a significant contributing factor in animal abandonment.
The volunteers of Elinore’s Dream care for feral felines who have been relegated to the outskirts. Through a program dubbed ‘Operation CatSnip’, aid providers use TNR, a method where felines are trapped without injury, neutered or spayed, and then released so that they may return to their feral group.
Any adults and kittens determined to be good candidates for adoption are temporarily placed with a fosterer until matched with a perfect forever home. Rescued felines learn to live indoors (a big change for some), where they are allowed to roam freely and socialize with people every day.
In operation for only six years, the number of cats this group has sterilized has increased exponentially every year, as has their number of successful adoptions. Amazingly, given the small size of their venture, over the years they have spayed and neutered over 1,700 felines! As you can imagine, that translates into far fewer feral cats with dire needs.
With our grant, they were able to continue their program to spay/neuter feral cats, making it possible to cover veterinary costs for 50 cats from low-income areas of Ft. Pierce. In addition to spay-and-neuter procedures, the treated felines received all needed vaccines at the time of surgery. Of course, medical issues, such as abscesses and infections, were also addressed.
According to Elinore’s Dream Treasurer Sande McKey, “We are very grateful to The Dr. Jane Foundation for their help with our feline welfare efforts. They don’t talk, but the cats are very grateful, too.”
To learn more about the adoptable cats available from this remarkable group, visit adoptapet.com/elinoresdream today. For any South Florida residents, this rescue encourages interested adopters to contact them immediately, as well as anyone interested in becoming a foster parent.
As the charitable arm of Life’s Abundance, The Dr. Jane Foundation provides financial support to small and medium-size rescue groups who work to prevent animal homelessness, abuse and chronic neglect. Every time you purchase a Life's Abundance product, a small donation is made to the Foundation’s operating fund.
And there’s more good news … we are now accepting applications for 2016 funding. If you know of an animal rescue organization that deserves special recognition and financial support, please encourage them to fill out an application.
Check back next month for more good news from The Dr. Jane Foundation. Together, we’re making a difference!