Chillicothe and surrounding counties — “Purrfect Companions” is a non-profit that helps get cats spayed and neutered. They are closing their cat shelter, but plan to expand their effort to offer low-cost vouchers to prevent unwanted breeding.
I had a long conversation with Shirley Ratcliff on the occasion of their yard sale this Saturday. It’s one of their main fundraisers and biggest promotion for their volunteer effort.
Ratcliff said Purrfect Companions is the only cat spay/neuter assistance group in Ross County…and they have been asked to help elsewhere, so they have extended their reach into neighboring counties.
She says they also had the only cat shelter in the county, but because of the expense and lack of volunteers, they are closing it at the end of this year. Ratcliff says they will adopt out their remaining rescues – who are all fixed and vaccinated – with a fee of less than $100.
They plan to put their funds into more spay/neuter voucher events. Currently, they have at least one event a month where anyone can buy vouchers to fix a male or female cat for only $45, which is much cheaper than the standard vet cost.
The vouchers give two choices: make your own appointment at North Fork Animal Clinic, or be given a date and time with the “Rascal Unit.” That is a mobile clinic that rotates around Central Ohio to provide on-location professional veterinary services.
Ratcliff says they have done vouchers for about eight years, giving out about a thousand vouchers a year, so they need funds to keep doing that. She says they also plan to create an indigent program for anyone who can’t afford them.
The next major event for event for Purrfect Companions is the annual “Stray Cat Strut.” It’s an online auction named after the ’80s song (no dancing included) that starts on October 24th this year. Late on the 31st, the bidding will end.
Ratcliff says they plant to have more spay/neuter clinics during October, as well as adopt out their remaining cats. She says they post all events on their Facebook page usually a week in advance. You can also call Ratcliff at 740 / 649-6888.
Saturday’s yard sale will be at 9am to 2:30pm at Ratcliff’s office of Old Canal Financial at 80 North Mulberry Street. (Not only is the cat shelter not there, and it is closing, but dumping animals is a crime.)
I had a long conversation with her, so I split the video into three parts. Especially watch the chart at the start of part two that shows how many cats can result from a single un-neutered female.
Shirley Ratcliff explains the “Purrfect Companions” cat assistance organization in Chillicothe, including upcoming events – in three parts:
