Lapcats: Petfinder 20th Anniversary Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We used the majority of the money to pay for medical procedures, vaccines, medication, and flea treatment. We purchased litter for our fosters and made a small purchase of a pet stroller that we are using for visits to senior-living facilities.
The grant money allowed us to help several cats whose only alternative may have been euthanasia while in the shelter. We also helped three cats stay in their homes who would have either been surrendered to the shelter, surrendered back to Lapcats, or put to sleep: Arthur, Lily, Kobe. We were able to perform dental surgeries on Arthur, Lily, Big Guy, Samuel, Kobe, Penelope, Little Man, Nicholas, and Lonnie. We helped Jesse with medical treatment.
How many pets did this grant help?
Ten so far, but we still have funds left over.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
“It has been four years since I became acquainted with Barbara Doty and Lapcats. I had been looking to adopt a tabby cat, which led me to the Lapcats website. Lily was to be my first indoor-only cat. I had been considering adopting a second cat to keep Lily company. This was also a first for me. When I arrived to meet and bring her home I was told that Lily was bonded with another cat. It was suggested that it would be wonderful for both cats if I adopted them together. That was easy! It was the best decision I could have made. I had always believed the myths about cats being aloof and solitary. It turns out that Lily and Oggie absolutely love each other. When they aren’t snuggling up to me, they are cuddling and playing with each other. Who knew?
“I kept in touch with Barbara over the years when I took the cats to her to get their nails trimmed. But I recently got some devastating news: Lily needed extensive and expensive dental work. This is where everything started to go sideways. The vet had spent a few minutes examining her and the majority of the time explaining how much it would cost to fix her teeth. Which was the least expensive: the wellness plan or the a la carte way? It really didn’t matter because there was no way I could have afforded any of it. It was going to cost $800-1,000. I kept telling the vet over and over that I didn’t have that kind of money as she continued to talk over me. She sent me home with six pages of cost estimates.
“I started to call around to other vets to get other estimates. It was all about that same. I followed the phone calls with internet searches for organizations that might be able to help low-income seniors dealing with this crisis. With no luck there, I cried a lot and considered the possibility of having to surrender my beloved pet. It looked like Lily’s dental crisis might be a death sentence.
“Then I thought of Barbara. I sent her an email and asked if she knew of any organizations that might be able to help with these expenses. She emailed back and said that Lapcats would pay for Lily’s dental work. I read it twice to make sure I had read it right. My eyes were not deceiving me. This time I cried for joy.
“Thank you, Barbara, for being the compassionate person that you are and for all the tireless and invaluable work you do on behalf of cats. Barbara and Lapcats do much more than connect abandoned and surrendered cats with their new families. Thanks to them and with help from the Petfinder Foundation, they saved my cat’s life for the second time!”
