Feral Cat Guardian
Testimonials
Will work for food...
Barn Cats need home!
Feral Cat Caretakers, the Unsung Heroes of our Trap/Neuter/Return Program, Needed NOW!
We have an unspoken covenant as feral cat caretakers to honor, protect and care for them...to do all that is possible to see they are never abused or needlessly destroyed. Please call 423-MEOW to HELP! Spay/neuter is the single most important thing we all can do to help the animals! There are not enough homes for all the animals in Santa Cruz county - and you can never stem the tide of homeless animals if you ignore the least understood and in the greatest danger - feral cats and kittens! Make a Difference...Make a Donation! Your donation is an investment in saving lives! Your support improves the lives and welfare of feral cats and kittens in Santa Cruz County. The cats need you....we need you! "I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, as I shall not pass this way again." ~ Stephen Grellet
Always remember, we are caring for the homeless and neglected. No matter how friendly the area may appear concealment is absolutely necessary. Circumstances change and people change. They have only us keeping them from starvation, abuse or extinction. Caregivers are observant and conscientious. We insure their good health and survival.
Your reward will be the trusting bond created by nurturing and supporting these cats. They will soon learn the sound of your car, your voice and come to meet you! There is nothing else like the trust these wild animals will give to ONLY you...their feeder.
They have much to teach us
about ourselves.
Welcome to Project Purr ~
a cat rescue organization
dedicated to FERAL cats and kittens in Santa Cruz County, California!
| Spay/Neuter Program |
Project Purr's Low-Cost Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Program Infomation
Spay or Neuter Feral Cats FREE in February and March 2012
When temperatures rise each spring, it marks the beginning of “kitten season,” the time of year when hundreds of kittens are born and brought to local animal shelters. To prevent unwanted litters, Project Purr is offering FREE spay/neuter for feral cats of Santa Cruz County in February and March.
"Anyone feeding a stray cat and concerned about too many kittens should take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to get the cats spayed or neutered, “ said Lynne Achterberg, Project Coordinator. “Cats are once again coming into heat, so time is of the essence. Spaying and neutering just one cat can prevent the birth of 55 kittens over that cat's lifetime.”
Download the flier here.
Purr Receives $50,000 Bequest From Daniel J. Garr to Benefit Feral Cats
A native of New York who had moved to the Santa Cruz area
30 years ago, Garr was 67 years old when he passed away on January 11, 2011.
Garr’s bequest to Project Purr, a Santa Cruz County all-volunteer nonprofit feral cat advocacy organization, will enable Project Purr to continue an important public program that provides low-cost feral cat and kitten spay/neuter to all county residents, regardless of income.
Thank you so much to Daniel J. Garr for his generosity to our community!
Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel article here.
Please Help Project Purr win some funds for spay/neuter!
Click on the image above to get to the right place. You may need to type in Project Purr as the shelter name on your first visit to the site.
Thank you!
Project Purr Receives $42,500 Two-Year Grant from PetSmart Charities® to Alter Watsonville Feral Cats
“We are excited about the impact of helping more people help more cats. The shelter receives lots of cats from Watsonville and Freedom and this grant will specifically help those areas,” said Lynne Achterberg, Project Coordinator.
Read the press release here.
Watsonville TNR brochure
English Spanish
Project Purr's Public Service Announcement!
Thank you to student Stephanie Rodriguez for creating this PSA, and Chriss Pagani for use of her photos.
Project Purr 2012 Spay/Neuter Program!
Good News!
Project Purr's low-cost feral cat and kitten spay/neuter program has two Santa Cruz County locations: Eastlake Animal Clinic and Animal Hospital of Soquel, with veterinary services located in BOTH NORTH & SOUTH Santa Cruz County!
You pay only $25. for each FERAL cat surgery, regardless of income... and Project Purr pays the balance!
- Feral, free-roaming unsocial cats and kittens must be presented individually in humane traps, available at NO CHARGE from Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at two locations: 2200 7th Avenue/Santa Cruz and 580 Airport Blvd/Watsonville 831/454-7200.
- Cats and kittens must be at least 4 months of age and unhandleable to participate in this program.
- Cats will receive spay/neuter surgery, FVRCP and rabies vaccinations, parasite control package, and a mandatory eartip (a visual life-saving permanent identification mark)
- Proof of Santa Cruz County residency is required.
Animal Hospital of Soquel
2651 Soquel Avenue (near 7th Avenue)
Santa Cruz, CA. 95062
831/475-0432
M-F 8-6
Sat 8-5 (No surgeries on Saturday)
Closed Sunday
~ Please call BEFORE trapping to assure surgery space is available, and if you are unsuccessful trapping, please call to let them know and reschedule.
~ Drop off cats in individual traps between 7:30 - 8 a.m. before regular clinic is open Monday - Friday. Pick up before 6 p.m. on the same day.
East Lake Animal Clinic
740 East Lake Avenue
Watsonville, CA. 95076
831/724-6391
Open 7 days a week
7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Surgeries 7 days a week
No appointment necessary
Drop off cats in individual traps before 10 a.m. to guarantee same day surgery and avoid overnight boarding charges.
(Clinic is open 6 p.m. - midnight for emergencies ONLY)
~ Male cats need to be picked up after surgery by closing to avoid overnight boarding charges.
~ Female cats MUST overnight after surgery at the clinic (no charge). Call after 10AM the next day to determine their pickup time.
Project Purr advocates Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as the only humane solution for the feral cat overpopulation. TNR is effective, cost-efficient and humane... teaches nonviolence and tolerance for others… and is the only proven method for success while helping end the homeless animal crisis. As their caregiver, you assume the responsibility to provide food daily, dry warm shelter, and lifelong care.
Our work is vital to saving lives and keeping cats out of the sheltering system…
and we can’t do it without you.
Spay/Neuter Saves Lives!
Barn Cat Relocation Program!
See some adorable rescued barn kitties, up close and personal!
About Project Purr
Project Purr is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit feral cat advocate organization in Santa Cruz, California. We are dedicated to improving the lives of feral cats and humanely reducing their numbers over time utilizing the Trap-Neuter-Return method (TNR). TNR has proven to be the most effective and only humane method of dealing with cat overpopulation.
Not only does the program improve the quality of life for feral and free-roaming cats, it results in a dramatic decrease in the number of cats euthanized in shelters. Project Purr rescued 90 healthy feral cats and kittens from euthanasia last year, thereby saving their lives, and successfully relocated them to new garden/barn homes.
Project Purr spayed/neutered more than 500 cats throughout our county in 2010 and was responsible for the rescue and adoption of more than 40 kittens. It is estimated that these efforts prevented the unwanted births of more than 1200 homeless cats in 2011.
Project Purr has set a goal to TNR 700 cats this year. With your help, we can reach that goal!
Shelter Stories from Mutts!
Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, our local shelters and adoption centers
Donate and Follow us Online
Project Purr on
Best Friends Network
Through our Facebook Cause
Project Purr has a Facebook Cause, which you can see here. It gives us an easy way to send out messages or alerts to people who care about helping community cats in our county.
Friends of Project Purr that sell on ebay can donate a portion of the sales price to Project Purr. See the current auctions here.
"Fix & Feed Pets in Need"
Project Purr has started and runs a new program for our community which delivers much needed dog and cat food to animals of those in need within Santa Cruz County. We deliver pet food to helpful organizations such as Loaves & Fishes and the Potter's House in Watsonville, Valley Churches United in Ben Lomond, and the Homeless Persons Health Project in Harvey West Park. They have well-established pantries and, by partnering with them, Project Purr easily reaches the animals of those in need. In 2009, Project Purr collected and delivered over 9,000 pounds of dog and cat food valued at approximately $13,500. Project Purr also supplies the pantries with bi-lingual informational flyers about the low cost and free spay/neuter opportunities throughout Santa Cruz County... that's why the program is called "Fix and Feed Pets in Need"!
Donated food is collected in big bright blue plastic barrels with the Fix and Feed logo on them in the front lobbies of the two county animal shelters.
Thank you for your donations and for helping "Fix & Feed Pets in Need"!
- Adopt a kitten or cat!
- Learn about Feral cats and Trap/Neuter/Return programs!
- Low Cost Spay/Neuter Program
- Donate Directly to Project Purr
- Help with our biggest fundraising activity: twice a year yard sales!
- News and Events
- Or check our previous newsletters below:
- Winter/Spring 2011 newsletter!
- Winter/Spring of 2010 newsletter!
- Winter/Spring of 2009 newsletter!
- Spring of 2008 newsletter!
- Winter of 2007 newsletter!
- Summer of 2007 newsletter!
- Winter of 2006 newsletter!
- Spring of 2006 newsletter!
- Fall of 2005 newsletter!
- Spring of 2005 newsletter!
- Fall of 2004 newsletter!
- Spring of 2004 newsletter!
As part of our belief in respect and compassion for all living creatures, Project Purr was established as a means of changing the way that stray and feral (wild) cats have been traditionally viewed and dealt with in our communities. We live in a culture where, for some, the value of an animal's life has no strong meaning of it's own - only a contingent one, based on the animal's use to people. Some people consider stray/feral cats as pests, dangerous, or a nuisance, and, as a result, they think it is acceptable to harm them, ignore them by "letting nature take its course" or kill them. Some people believe that feral cats lead short, miserable lives and therefore should be killed "for their own good" in order to protect them from any future hardships they may suffer.
Project Purr holds these views as cruel, inhumane and unacceptable.
Project Purr believes that every cat should have a caring and loving home. TNR is an integral part of reaching a day when there are no more homeless pets.
In keeping with our mission, Project Purr believes that all living creatures, including feral and stray cats, have an intrinsic value. They deserve compassion, care and protection for their entire lives. All living creatures have a basic instinct to live and have the best life they can. Acting as their advocate or "voice," Project Purr will strive to improve their lives and promote ideals that are more reflective of a caring and humane community.
In addition to stray and feral cats, caring for any neglected, abused, injured, or abandoned animal builds a better world. It teaches us kindness, tolerance, unconditional love and much in the way of reverence for all life. By caring for them, you improve their lives and let them live it however long that may be. The reward is simply knowing you have done good for them!
TNR is not only cost-effective and humane, but it is scientifically proven as the most effective means of controlling the free-roaming cat population. TNR has been successfully implemented in several cities around the country, as well as worldwide, and is endorsed by many well-respected institutions and organizations as an alternative to trapping and killing stray and feral cats. TNR evolved from nonlethal control programs practiced for decades in the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe, and Africa. In the United States, TNR is practiced by thousands of individuals and hundreds of groups, with the help of sympathetic veterinarians and clinics. Some of the many groups endorsing TNR include:
• AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• HSUS (Humane Society of the United States)
• AHA (American Humane Association)
• ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
• Cat Fancier's Association
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Cornell and Tufts Universities Schools of Veterinary Medicine
• Doris Day Animal League
• San Francisco SPCA
• SPAY/USA
We always need help...get involved!
Call us at 423-MEOW! !
