To those I never see….

Jennifer Vanderau
Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter

(9/2024) I was reminded once again of how many people out there are helping this shelter without even knowing it.

I talked with a lady who takes care of two cat colonies and has a host of her own felines as well. She feeds and medicates and makes sure that all the felines in her care are spayed and neutered and that is such a help to us, it’s hard for me to express it in words.

There are others like her who help in the same way.

Some of these folks bring cats inside their homes and love them for the remainder of their lives.

Some of these folks take animals from family members who have moved or passed away, so the four-legged friend doesn’t have to come to a shelter.

Some of these folks maintain other outside strays and make sure they have food and water and rabies shots and are spayed and neutered so they don’t make any more cats.

These are the people that take care of cats who never come to the shelter.

These are the people who – out of their own pockets – pay for the services necessary to care for the animals. I want to make sure you understand that – it’s money out of their own pockets that they use to take care of these animals and I think that’s utterly amazing.

They are absolute, beyond a shadow of a doubt, heroes in my mind and I very rarely ever get a chance to see them, let alone say thank you.

I was grateful to be able to talk the woman today and show my appreciation, but there are so many others out there like her that will never be able to hear my words.

A volunteer for the shelter is working on getting the cats fixed who showed up outside her home recently. She’s doing this out of her own pocket because she cares about animals and she knows that if they are allowed to reproduce, the numbers will quickly get out of control.

So far, she has spayed and neutered six of the cats around her home.

Thankfully, I am able to express my appreciation to her, but it frustrates me that I’m not able to say thank you to others like her doing the same thing.

So if you are one of those people, thank you so very much. It’s difficult for me to find the words to really be able to express the depth of my emotion here.

If you know people who do this, please tell them I said thank you and express the sentiments above.

The bottom line to managing pet overpopulation is spaying and neutering.

And for anyone who has fed an outside cat, you know how very quickly those numbers can multiply. I’m always shocked by how many times a female cat can get pregnant in a year and how many kittens she can have per litter.

I know it’s difficult to see the stray cats outside – there are some outside my house who get fed every day (and are pretty much spayed and neutered) – but feeding them just isn’t enough.

We have to make certain that they are spayed and neutered so the numbers don’t get too big to handle.

We are definitely seeing the litters of kittens come into the shelter and the influx will continue well into the fall.

In the summer time we are always jammed full of cats at the shelter (and we definitely are right now) and in the springtime they are out making the babies that we will have to find homes for in the coming months.

I’m very proud that the shelter has held a monthly spay and neuter clinic for the past few years to help our local residents spay and neuter their cats.

I’m also incredibly grateful for the people who are doing this themselves.

Animal welfare is not really a fight that can be done individually. It takes a whole lot of people working toward a common goal to make a difference in an animal’s life.

I’m so grateful that the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter exists where we do. This community is generous and helpful and truly loves animals.

To everyone who is out there fighting for them: thank you so very much.

Especially those of you whom I never see.

Jennifer Vanderau is the Publications and Promotions Consultant for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.