September Spay Dates 10, 23, 29

Spay dates for September are the 10th, 23rd and 29th.  Please e-mail Collette to arrange participation on any of the dates.

Contest: Chance to Win

See if you can answer this story problem. You may use a calculator.

You find one cat hanging around your porch, and you begin to feed her. In March, she has four very cute kittens. An average female cat will have two to three litters of four kittens a year. If your outside cat has three litters, how many cats will be in your yard by December?

Cats can conceive when they are four months old. Gestation is 60 days. Half of the kittens are female and become pregnant. Now, how many cats will be in your yard by September?

But wait! Cats can conceive while they are nursing their first kittens. Half of the kittens are female. Those March kittens may produce a second litter before winter comes. If they do, how many cats will be in your yard in next January?

Email us with the correct answer and your name and address. If you are one of the first five contestants with the right answer, you will win a $10 gift certificate to PetSmart and one feral cat spay/neuter voucher!

First Spring Spay Dates are Set!

We have set the first three Spay Days for 2010:

Wednesday, Feb 24
Wednesday, Mar 10
Thursday, Mar 25

More dates to come!  If you or someone you know has cats that need TNR and you would like to participate in one or more of these dates, please contact us through our Request for TNR Form, or by sending an e-mail to info@triplerpets.org.

Spay Illinois Launching this February

As you have probably already heard about, February is National Spay/Neuter Month. We’re happy to spread the word about a new TNR program in Illinois called, “Spay Illinois”, that is an affiliate of Spay USA. Please check out the below press release for more information about the new program.

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SPAY ILLINOIS
708-301-1300
1-877-475-SPAY (7729)
www.spayillinois.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: 708-301-1300
Cell: 708-374-0035
Email:info@spayillinois.org

LOW COST SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAM FOR COOK & WILL COUNTY RESIDENTS
SPAY ILLINOIS kicks off February 2010 with a goal of spay/neutering 500 pets

SPAY ILLINOIS is a new statewide program that is making it easy for people to have their pets spayed or neutered. SPAY ILLINOIS is a partner of SPAY USA a nationally known group dedicated to helping people find low cost spay/neuter options. SPAY ILLINOIS runs a toll free number for the state of Illinois which anyone can call to find low cost options in their area 1-877-475-SPAY (7729) or locally 708-301-1300. You can also visit the website for more information on SPAY ILLINOIS at www.spayillinois.org.(Still Under Construction until Friday)

The goal of SPAY ILLINOIS is to reduce the number of animals euthanized in Illinois every year by helping people find low cost services, subsidized funds, and programs for low-income owners who cannot afford to have their pet altered. Even though there are programs out there to help a lot of the people in Illinois don’t know where to find them. SPAY ILLINOIS is going to be here to help them find the best program for their needs.

We are also facing the challenge of finding vets to participate in our program, SPAY USA currently has 9,000 vets participating but since SPAY ILLINOIS has just started we currently have 27 participating and are looking for more. We have many black hole areas ( areas that have no spay/neuter services available) and we will be setting up transports to transport public animals to low cost service providers until we can fill those holes.

There are no income qualifications to call SPAY ILLINOIS, no county restrictions or number of animals that can be fixed through our program.

For the Month of February Cook County & Will County will be offering their low cost spay/neuter program which reduces the cost of your animals spay/neuter by $40.00. There is a limit of 2 pets per household for this program and the pet must either receive a rabies vaccination and tag the day of surgery or have a current rabies vaccination and tag to qualify for the program.

You can have your cat spayed/neutered for $40 and your dog’s spayed/neutered for $55 through our program. Vaccinations and other services will be available the day of surgery. Since we expect a very high turnout for this program please call as soon as possible to get your February appointment booked through one of our local vets.
If you live outside of Will or Cook County we still have low cost options available for you so please call us to get your pet scheduled today.

SPAY ILLINOIS is a program of New Beginnings Cat Shelter a registered non-profit #36-4538177 in Illinois if you would like to make a donation to SPAY ILLINOIS or New Beginnings Cat Shelter please visit our website at http://www.newbeginningscatshelter.org or http://www.spayillinois.org.

February is National Spay / Neuter Month

All around the country animal advocates are preparing to celebrate National Spay / Neuter Month in February. Check in with your local humane society or veterinarian’s office to see what they are doing to help solve our country’s pet overpopulation problem. Here are some programs in the areas where we work:

Cook and Will County, IL residents can have their dogs, cats, or ferrets spayed/neutered during the month of February andreceive a $40 rebate.

How the rebate program works in Cook County:

1. Call your veterinarian to ask if she/he is participating in the Cook County or Will County spay/neuter rebate program.

2. Schedule an appointment in February with a participating veterinarian.

3. Bring your cat, dog or ferret in for spay/neuter surgery. Limit is two pets per household.

4. Pay your veterinarian for the surgery, minus the $40 rebate

5. Veterinarians receive a $40 rebate for each spay/neuter performed during the month of February.

6. Owners must have proof that pets are current on rabies and other vaccinations.

Will County offers a very similar program. For details, contact your participating veterinarian or Will County Animal Control (815) 462-5633.

Click here for a downloadable flyer and help us spread the word!

Coastal Mississippi continues to offer everyday low-cost spay/neuter surgeries through generous funding from the ASPCA, United Animal Nations and other national organizations. The following are a couple of links to local services in MS:

Mississippi Spay & Neuter
Humane Society of Southern Mississippi

Triple R Pets Completes Feral Cat Colony Case Study

A thirty-one month case study of a managed feral cat colony was conducted in the south-western suburbs of Cook County, Illinois.

Tracking the success of a managed trap-neuter-return program vs traditional trap and remove programs demonstrated the population reduction in this colony.

Read the full study by downloading it here.

Pictured: A member of the colony that was studied

Chicagoland TNR Program Continues to Grow

If only we had census data for the Chicagoland Feral Cat Population!

As the cold months quickly approach, the Triple R Pets hotline is ringing with requests from caretakers for support in Trap Neuter Return for their colony. Programs are in full swing in the Beverly area as well as several other neighborhoods and suburbs.

Some recent newspaper articles can be read by clicking the links below:

Beverly Area
LaGrange Area

How can you help? Hands on field assistance is needed. What a great chance to catch up on your reading while you watch a trap on a Saturday morning! We have some mass-traps planned in the coming weeks and can use some extra hands. We’ll provide the equipment, hands-on training and the chance to meet some new friends (human and furry). Visit our volunteer page for more information.

You can also donate to cover the cost of TNR for a cat. A complete feral cat TNR package is $40 and includes surgery, pain medication, vaccinations, ear-tipping, wound care, de-worming, ear cleaning and so on. It is a very comprehensive package that provides much needed care for these animals and the all-important surgery to prevent more unwanted litters of kitterns. Plus a three-year rabies vaccinations that is good for everyone!

TNR still needed on the Gulf Coast

While we have ended our formal work on the Gulf Coast, we still have found that there is a desperate need for TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release). Last week one of our volunteers, Katie Taibi, helped a resident trap and spay 16 cats. With the help of a grant as well as the success of our annual garage sale, we are able to continue to fund TNR along the Gulf Coast.

This August will mark the 3rd year since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Yet, many residents are still rebuilding their lives. The pet overpopulation problem and feral cats add an even greater burden to many concerned animal lovers still rebuilding. While many organizations and people across the U.S. have forgotten about Katrina victims, you can certainly count on Triple R Pets to continue to help these unlucky people and animals.