SOUTHAMPTON ANIMAL SHELTER FOUNDATION HOSTS ANNUAL COMMUNITY EVENT TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR THEIR ADVO-CAT PROGRAM

By Ann Grenier

The Annual Spay-ghetti fundraiser hosted by the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) will take place this winter with a priority to raise funds and create awareness for the dedicated Advo-Cat program, the event benefits the entire Southampton Township. The organization uses monies raised to help spay and neuter hundreds of community cats each year.

As THE community animal shelter, the Foundation offer free spay and neutering for all the homeless cats in the township, which spans roughly 300 square miles. It costs roughly $15,000 a year to spay or neuter and vaccinate all the community cats brought to the clinic. Per cat, that comes out to a little over $120, after the surgery, microchipping and vaccinations. The Foundation takes in the feral kittens, socializes them, feeds and houses them until they find their forever homes.

The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of our donors and volunteers to care for the homeless animals in our community and place them in loving “forever homes.” The number of animals in need of our help is growing every day. The overpopulation of pets on Long Island is a major issue and sadly more amazing animals are ending up homeless. Whether caring for strays found wandering the streets, rescuing neglected and abandoned animals, or saving dogs from the horrors of the puppy mill industry, the shelter is a safe haven for all animals and for some, the last resort. Without SASF, these animals would not be able to survive. The shelter provides a steppingstone for animals to find loving homes. It offers them housing, food, medical treatment, training, and rehabilitation when necessary.

Instead of a sit-down dinner, this fundraiser offers a gift certificate for a spaghetti dinner from Uncle Joe’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Hampton Bays, along with a cupcake from Cathy’s Cupcakes. After Guests purchase their ticket online, they schedule an appointment to come in in late February to pick up the gift certificate and partake in the chance auction. Currently, the center is still accepting sponsors and auction items to help the cause.

“We are proud of our work in assisting the community in its efforts to control the local feral cat population,” says the Southampton Animal Shelter. “We have been supporting a local colony for the past four years located in Flanders. This has been a difficult and tricky situation that started with 25 cats. With the support of the Town, we have reduced that number to 5, this is just one example of the many colonies we support.”

The foundation also proudly worked with a private residence that had feral cats that were trapped and neutered. During the process, one of the cats had kittens, and due to low temperatures, one of the kittens sustained life threatening injuries. The kitten was rushed to the wellness clinic at the shelter, and after intensive care, Snowflake recovered. The kitten even was able to be placed in a loving forever home with new owners.

A recent article in The East Hampton Star identified that, “Across the United States, according to the Humane Society, there are 166 million “community cats.” They have 1.4 litters a year and only 25 percent of their kittens are still alive after three months. Yet, for all their challenges, “Stray cats are the single largest source of shelter animal intake,” says the society’s website. Most don’t make it out alive; 80 percent of cats who enter a shelter die there.” The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation is proud of the work they do to be a part of the solution of controlling these numbers. Please help them help the homeless cats in our community.

The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is supported exclusively by donations and grants from the community. From caring and finding homes for stray and abandoned animals to providing low-cost veterinary care and dog training so that animals can remain in their homes, the shelter has become a vital resource in our community.

For more information on the fundraising event, please visit www.sasf.org