FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2015
Chester County SPCA
PHONE: 610-692-6113
www.ccspca.org
CONTACT: Micaela Malloy
PHONE: 610-692-6113 x229
mmalloy@ccspca.org
Chester County SPCA Awarded $300k Grant for Community Cat Program
Grant will support CCSPCA’s lifesaving work for homeless animals
WEST CHESTER (March 11) – The Chester County SPCA (CCSPCA) is proud to announce that
the shelter has received a large grant from PetSmart Charities™ to help control the cat
populations in both Chester and Delaware Counties.
PetSmart Charities has awarded a $305,320 grant to the CCSPCA for the spaying and
neutering of approximately 4,700 free-roaming cats over a 26-month period in an effort to
properly address and manage the cat overpopulation problem in the community.
The shelter’s new Community Cat Program will focus on identifying areas with significant
cat populations and offer services and support for the residents of those communities. Cats
will be humanely trapped, taken to the CCSPCA’s Animal Health Center to be spayed or
neutered and vaccinated, and then returned to the location they were found to live out their
lives.
Delaware County as a whole was identified as the program’s targeted area in the grant
proposal submitted to PetSmart Charities. Since 2012, the CCSPCA has been caring for
Delaware County’s animals by providing stray boarding and adoption services for homeless
animals found within the county.
“The Delaware County Animal Protection Board is thrilled to learn of the grant. This will
greatly help reduce the cat overpopulation problem so many of our municipalities are
dealing with,” said Brian Razzi, Chairman of Delaware County Animal Protection Board.
CCSPCA staff is confident that the implementation of the Community Cat Program will
reduce the number of cats entering the shelter and ultimately decrease the organization’s
feline euthanasia rate. In 2014, 74% of the cats received by the shelter were brought in as
strays, many of which were free-roaming cats thriving in the community.
Unfortunately, the CCSPCA faces the same problem as most shelters across the country: the
number of cats entering the facility is greater than the number of adoptive homes available.
The shelter’s annual live release rate for cats in 2014 was 77% and staff leadership expects
to see that number increase with the help of PetSmart Charities grant funding.
Adam Lamb, CCSPCA Executive Director, has seen the lifesaving capabilities of Community
Cat Programs first-hand throughout his decade-long career in animal welfare. “Targeted
spay/neuter programs are an integral part of the no-kill movement,” said Lamb. “It
represents a shift in the way a community views animals: they deserve to live and they
deserve to be advocated for.”
The industry-wide goal to be considered a no-kill organization in the animal welfare
community is to achieve a live release rate of at least 90%. The CCSPCA has met and
surpassed the 90% live release goal to achieve no-kill status in each of the last four months.
Only a small number of open admissions shelters across the country have met and
maintained the no-kill criteria and the CCSPCA is one of the first to do so in Pennsylvania.
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About the Chester County SPCA:
Founded in 1929, the Chester County SPCA is the only open admissions shelter in both
Chester and Delaware Counties. Its mission is to promote the welfare and humane
treatment of animals and to be an advocate on their behalf, improving the lives of both
animals and people. Each year, the CCSPCA cares for over 5,000 stray, owner-surrendered,
wayward owned, and abused and neglected animals. For more information, please visit
www.ccspca.org.
About PetSmart Charities:
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of
homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our
adoption program in all PetSmart™ stores and our sponsored adoption events. PetSmart
Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare
group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter services that help
communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization,
separate from PetSmart, Inc.