VHS’ SECOND CHICAGO TRANSPORT OF 2016 TO SEND 40+ CATS AND 2 DOGS TO WINDY CITY THANKS TO ASPCA/SUBARU GRANT

 

 The Vanderburgh Humane Society has finalized another lifesaving transport to other shelters with more space in Chicago. More than 40 cats/kittens and 2 dogs will be hitting the road early on Wednesday morning, March 16^th at around 5:00 am. This is the second Chicago transport of 2016 and one of many that VHS has done over the past few years.

Chicago, Illinois has had huge success in reducing pet overpopulation in the area thanks to targeted spay/neuter programs offered by many large organizations. They saw a 69% reduction in the number of euthanized animals from 1997 to 2010 and the number has continued to decrease dramatically in recent years, according to PAWS Chicago, one of many animal welfare organizations that offers low-cost spay & neuter. Additionally, Chicago is a large city with many high-rise apartment buildings. Since cats are ideal apartment pets, the “demand” for cats is much higher there than in a city like Evansville. That, coupled with a larger population in general, means that there is a much larger pool of adopters for cats in the Chicago area. For VHS kitties, this is great news!

VHS has partnered with several Chicago area organizations for years. One of these, Felines & Canines, Inc. in the heart of Chicago itself, typically welcomes cats from VHS with open arms several times a year. They accept adult cats up to 7 years old, the age range in which the vast majority of VHS cats fall. Here in Evansville, kittens get adopted within hours or minutes while adult cats sometimes wait on homes for months. Transports like this secure a bright future for these adult cats whose fate is much more uncertain here.

This transport is particularly special. In late 2015, the Vanderburgh Humane Society was one of 49 organizations awarded the ASPCA & Subaru Share the Love Event “Rescue Ride” grant. VHS was awarded $5,000 to cover the cost of transports just like this. The funds help to underwrite the costs of preparing each cat for transport, including spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, testing, and deworming. The grant provides money for transportation costs such as gas and road tolls. Additionally, VHS receives no compensation or adoption fees for cats who are sent to rescue. The $5,000 also helps to make up the lost adoption fee since caring for each cat typically costs the Humane Society anywhere between $200 and $400+.

On Wednesday morning, 15 adult cats will go to Felines & Canines and several mother cats with litters of kittens will go to Animal House Shelter in Huntley, Illinois thanks to the Rescue Ride grant. Two dogs who have had a harder time getting adopted at VHS, Cosmo and Harper, will also be hitching a ride to Animal House at VHS’ expense.

Despite receiving a grant, VHS encourages the public to remember more than 2,000 other animals that pass through the shelter’s doors each year. Vanderburgh Humane is not funded in any way by taxes or consistent funding from ASPCA or the Humane Society of the United States. (Any grant funding received is a one-time disbursement, must be applied for, and is restricted to the terms outlined in the grant.) The VHS depends solely and completely on the generosity of the community to survive and continue its lifesaving programs. Donate at www.vhslifesaver.org, by phone at (812) 426-2563, or text “VHS” to 20222 to donate $10. (Standard message & data rates apply.)

For more information or to arrange a broadcast from the shelter, contact Amanda Coburn or Kendall Paul at the numbers listed at the beginning of this news release.

For more information on the Rescue Ride grant, click here: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/aspca-announces-recipients-rescue-ride-animal-relocation-grants