MEOW Now Provides TNVR to 1,000 Pinellas County Community Cats

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Oct. 19, 2015 - PRLog -- It truly takes a village. When it comes to the exceptionally high number of local community cats, it also takes a dedicated team of caring and hard-working individuals to take action and create a positive effect on the PinellasCounty community cat overpopulation, as well as their human co-inhabitants. MEOW Now, a non-profit organization in its first year of operation, is reaching its goal of providing Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return - TNVR - to 1,000 community cats.

MEOW Now was formed by concerned citizens Dan Hester, Marilyn Weaver, and Cathy Unruh, along with the Humane Society of Pinellas and SPCATampaBay, to implement an effective program to humanely reduce the overpopulation of PinellasCounty community cats. MEOW Now is not a shelter, but a mobile, volunteer-based organization that operates exclusively within PinellasCounty. MEOW Now is entirely dependent on donations from citizens and businesses to fulfill its mission of spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations for the cats, along with caregiver support and advocacy.

One year ago this month, on October 21, 2014, Pinellas County Commissioners voted unanimously to amend the county code to allow TNVR within Pinellas for a three year trial period. MEOW Now is the only non-profit 501(c)3 to focus entirely on TNVR in Pinellas. Thanks to MEOW Now and its supporters, 1,000 community cats will no longer be overpopulating the county. But that is only a fraction of the work ahead. PinellasCounty has upwards of over 100,000 free-roaming community cats that may be currently reproducing. TNVR is shown to be the only effective, humane procedure to reduce the growing numbers.

TNVR also lessens annoying behaviors such as howling, fighting, roaming and spraying, and can decrease intake of cats at local shelters, which reduces euthanasia and taxpayer expense. It’s proven, it’s humane and it’s effective.

As a volunteer-based organization, funding is essential for MEOW Now’s continued work and success. Community cats are dependent on the community for humane help. TNVR provides that assistance. MEOW Now is also depending on the community for help with Managing and Ending Overpopulation Wisely.