TNR, Traps and Tuna | Chattanooga Feral Cat Alliance

Well, probably not tuna, but you get the gist. Because of the demand for TNR in Chattanooga and the lack of organizations or individuals providing it, Megan Morris with CHAFCA applied for a $3,000 grant to spay and neuter feral cat populations. Doesn’t McKamey (or someone) do that? Yes, but it’s complicated. McKamey limits any individual or organization to only two cats three times a month. Hopefully, that will change in 2023. The other option outside of private vets is Chattaneuter. They only accept 12 feral cats twice a week out of the entire Chattanooga area (Georgia included), and CHAFCA has been turned away for weeks despite showing up more than an hour before they open. Makes things complicated when you are trapping feral cats.

CHAFCA has a wait list two months long, so our grant will be used primarily to partner with one or more private veterinarians willing to offer their services at a cost that’s less than what they would charge for a pet cat spay or neuter but will be more than the current $35 average cost at Chattanooga’s two low-cost clinics. So, our $3,000 will pilot a $50 spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, and an ear tip for 48 cats over the course of a year plus some more traps and bait.

If you have a feral cat colony and need help, reach out to our friends at CHAFCA. We’re proud to support their efforts to reduce the overpopulation of feral and community cats.

Cat Medical Expenses for Homeless and Seniors | The Alice Fund

Whether or not you like cats, our $3,000 May grant helps seniors and homeless people in Chattanooga. In many instances, the feline pet is the primary source of interaction for the applicants. Because of the nature of cats - i.e. that they can thrive indoors and do not have to be walked - they are pets of choice for seniors and those who are homebound. This project would specifically benefit our neighbors who are economically deprived, homebound, and/or homeless, with special preference given to senior citizens. The reality is sometimes they make a choice between their own medical needs and those of their best friends.

So who will be redistributing the money? The Alice Fund is a 501c 3 named in honor of a feral cat named Alice. It was established to assist Chattanoogans in need who do not have funds to support the care of their best friends and companions - their feline pets. The Alice Fund accepts applications from all in our community and partners with veterinarians to provide effective, low cost support for the pets' medical needs. Applicants must have a good prognosis for their cat, show financial need (through vetting by the veterinarian helping their cat) and contribute financially in some way regardless of how small the amount is.

Facility Dog | Children's Advocacy Center

The Children's Advocacy Center of Hamilton County (CAC) has a mission to serve those affected by alleged child sexual abuse. [These people have truly noble jobs] The CAC provides intervention, therapeutic, and prevention services to victims of abuse. All services are offered at no charge to clients. Soon they will brighten those services with a trained facility dog from the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence. #woof

Trained dogs can be utilized in counseling in two main ways. First, by simply being present within the therapy room, but not the main focus. In this method, the dog helps calm the child just by being there. The second way that dogs can be utilized in the counseling environment is to make the dog a part of the therapy itself. An apprehensive child could pet the dog while talking about highly emotional issues.

It may be hard to believe, but the CAC served almost 600 children last year. It takes a community working together to move the needle and create real change. This facility dog will do just that.

McKamey's Homeless Camp Project

We all know what McKamey Animal Center does. They address animal control and care problems in the City of Chattanooga. Well, did you know McKamey also helps homeless pets? Now you do.

McKamey partners with Relevant Hope, a nonprofit that establishes relationships with homeless people and connects them with the services they need. Thanks to them we now have an avenue to reach homeless camps all over Chattanooga. A volunteer veterinarian, Dr Angelika Lingl donates her time and expertise to go visit pets in the camps on a monthly basis. While McKamey volunteers the time of one of their vet techs and Dr. Lingl volunteers her time as well, the cost of the vaccinations, medication, supplies, and spay/neuter surgery for homeless pets needed funding. For the next 12 months our $2,400 grant will fund these much needed resources.

This TFP article from May 2015 nicely highlights the work Dr Lingl, Relevant Hope and McKamey all accomplish when partnered together. They are the homeless pet protectors. They are super heroes in our collective mind. The UNFoundation is just honored to tag along with this trifecta in the form of our July grant.