A local animal rescue has received a $10,000 grant from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the ASPCA. Eden Animal Haven is a no-kill cat rescue in Brighton just north of Springfield. Pam Adelmann is president of the board of directors for the nonprofit.
"We operate a shelter that has communal cat rooms. We don't have individual cages," she said. "Cats live in rooms of from six to 12 cats. And in the larger rooms they have access to screened-in patios through doors, so it's a very unique shelter environment."
She said they’re currently busy with what she calls kitten season. They have around 130 cats and kittens at the rescue now and another 50 or so in foster homes. The grant will allow Eden Animal Haven to find homes for those cats by hosting free adoptions at PetSmart stores.
"The ASPCA calls this grant the rescue effort. And what they mean is that, if we can get any cats adopted through this grant, we can rescue more and speed up the pipeline because we have such a long waiting list right now during kitten season," said Adelmann. "So, they think of it as a ripple effect. The more we can get adopted, the more we can take in and save more cats in all."
The money is also used to get cats ready for adoption – it helps pay for veterinary care, food, litter and transportation to adoption events. Adelmann said the average monthly cost for caring for each cat is $190.
Eden Animal Haven offers financial help for people who can’t afford to get their cats spayed and neutered and they have a trap, neuter, release or TNR program, which prevents community cat colonies from reproducing.
Adelmann was asked if there's anything she wants the public to know about running an animal rescue. She said all rescues are constantly being bombarded with requests to take in more animals, "and it's stressful. It's heartbreaking. We hate turning people away."
She urges people to spay and neuter their pets.
"We could stop a whole lot of these requests for our help and a lot of the trouble that people are in with too many animals if they would spay and neuter their animals when they're young and prevent that cycle of overpopulation," she said.
