Venice Cat Coalition Saves Lives, Overcomes COVID-19 Shutdowns

The call for help was typical. A Nokomis, FL resident who loves animals had taken on far more than she could afford and was at wit’s end. She had 9 nursing mother cats and over 35 tiny newborn kittens inside her trailer and on her property. Local cat rescues from Venice, North Port and Sarasota worked together to get all the mother cats spayed, and adopt out all the kittens.

It was a happy ending for animals and humans, as the kittens were very tame even though they had fleas and other parasites. Otherwise, they were in good shape, needing basic medical services costing $100 or more each before babies could be adopted into a new indoor-only home.

For the Venice Cat Coalition and Feline Friends SWFL, two of the local non-profits involved, such requests come in every week. The two nonprofits announced this week that they had completed their 2020 “worse case cat” project during the last 10 months, saving more than 250 local cats and kittens. The project was supported by a $6,000 Animal Welfare Grant awarded in April 2020 by the Helen C. Schwieder Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and matched with more than $20,000 additional money from general donors.

Read the full story, as submitted by the Venice Cat Coalition.