Lynn Kopka, organizer and president of Troy City Council, holds a feral kitten at the Troy Veterinary Hospital during Operation Snip Round Two on Sunday, Feb. Operation Snip thanks everyone involved with the successful Feb. Our network of volunteers grows with each round. The teams assigned to each of the more than 10 trapping sites worked tirelessly to get as many cats as possible enrolled in Snip. Troy Veterinary Hospital vets, vet techs and staff donated their time and skills all day. The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society and SCRUFF loaned surgical packs for the day. 17 clinic was a milestone in the number of ferals done in one day, the number of animal groups participating (whether through donating traps and other equipment or trapping or transporting) and the level of commitment and generosity of Troy Veterinary Hospital. Snip volunteers prepared the cats for return to their “homes.” The vets worked in shifts and at least three cats were on operating tables at any one time. The Troy Veterinary Hospital vets and vet techs were outstanding - and standing all day - as the cats went through intake, assessment, shots, testing and surgery. as the cats were transported to Troy Vet and ended with the last cat coming off the operating table at 7:45 p.m. The goal of Operation Snip is to reduce the overpopulation of feral cats living in alleys and abandoned structures throughout Troy. ![]() This will significantly reduce the number of kittens born this spring to feral moms. ![]() Troy Vet Hospital selected the late winter date as the optimum time to spay females prior to kitten season. 17, for a grand total of more than 100 cats receiving spay/neuter services on one day. More than 50 cats from that location also were part of the program on Feb. We partnered with another TNR (trap/neuter/return) program to address an overpopulation problem in one location. The focus was on Lansingburgh, with trapping sites determined by residents of the ‘Burgh and the city’s animal control officer. The successful spay/neuter/return of more than 50 Troy cats was a collaboration among many animal rescue groups, Troy Veterinary Hospital and many dedicated volunteers. Round II followed the initial spring 2012 round of 150 cats receiving spay/neuter services. Pulse of The People: Operation SNIP is a success Our partners at the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society in Menands and Saratoga SCRUFF Troy Veterinary Hospital and Animal Protective Foundation - as well as our extensive network of volunteers – have contributed to Snip’s ability to respond to increasing numbers of calls for assistance.” “Operation: Snip has been a huge success in reducing the community cat population in Troy. “The demand continues to increase, but responses from the community has always been very good at helping our organizations,” Kopka said. The organizations regularly gets phone calls from the community to report strays, and the calls keep coming. “It wouldn’t be good for health reasons related to the stray cats, since the cats will continue to reproduce, creating more cats without resources.” ![]() “If there are a lot of cats hanging around a neighborhood, it can become a health issue for the unattended cats,” she explained. But the work they do is important not only to the cats they help, Kopka said. The organizations do not have any paid staff, relying on 10 to 20 volunteers depending on the events being held. At no time are Operation: Snip and SCRUFF more needed than in the winter, when icy winds blow and threaten to break both human and feline spirits. Volunteer organizations like these, and the feline populations they serve, survive through the goodwill of people who recognize the humane mandate to care for the defenseless creatures in our midst, Kopka said. “We look to this event each year to help build and continue our organization so that we can keep saving more cats throughout the Capital Region,” said Operation: Snip President Lynn Kopka, who is also a member of the Troy City Council. All money raised will go directly to the organizations. The party will have a cocktail party theme with gift baskets for the public to bid on.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |