The clinics grew from fixing 32 cats at their first clinic to more than 200 per clinic. And demand for Fix Our Ferals went beyond what the roaming clinics could sustain. After moving from location to location, the organization found their permanent home in 2012 with the help of generous donations from community members who believed in their work and a $75,000 PetSmart Charities grant, Ryan said. “The cats are getting wonderful high-quality care. We want that for our pets, but for those of us who work with free roaming cats and know that after surgery they are going back out on the streets to their colonies we believe it is essential they receive the best care possible,” Ryan said. The free roaming cats are not only fixed, but they are also vaccinated, micro chipped and treated for fleas. “We do everything that we can in that one sitting to make sure they get the best treatment possible,” said Ryan. The clinic also provides veterinary services to pet cats at a slightly higher fee than for the free-roaming cats. Fix Our Ferals has since become a model for other organizations looking to provide similar services throughout the Bay Area. With a website full of useful information, they serve as a resource to citizens wanting to help the cause. “We lend out traps to people and provide detailed instructions how to trap the cats,” Ryan said. “I think we really are a unique community resource in West Contra Costa that just wasn’t available before.” Increasing the number of spays and neuters to reduce effectively reduce the free roaming cat population, and continuing to educate residents throughout the the East Bay is a main focus for those at Fix Our Ferals, according to Ryan. “We want to change the community standard so that our community understands that a fixed animal, whether you care about animals or not, is the best thing for animals and for reducing the population, to reduce suffering and end euthanasia at our shelters” she said. “Feeding a stray cat isn’t enough. If you really care, fixing the cat is critically important because that is how to prevent more little kittens from living out on the streets and suffering.” Getting to Know Richmond Watermark Properties “I got a call from a neighbor that a foreclosure notice had been put on my mother’s home. My mother had passed away several months before and no one could afford to pay the extra mortgage so the loan was now in default. I had also started getting floods of letters from Investors and Realtors who all wanted to give me “some money” for the house. I truly did not know what to do. A friend said to call her Realtor, Jaynelle Bell. I called Jaynelle and told her my situation. Jaynelle immediately got the foreclosure stopped and referred me to an attorney who got the Probate action started. She trashed out, cleaned up, staged and professionally marketed our family home. She and I met over coffee whenever I started to feel overwhelmed and talked me through the entire process. Instead of walking away with nothing and the shame of losing my mother’s house, my family deposited a cashier’s check for over $500,000 into our account. Thank You Jaynelle Bell! “ David, Oakland If you have a home to sell, Call Jaynelle! If you need a place to dwell, Call Jaynelle! Jaynelle Bell, it has a nice ring to it. (510) 206-7144 WATERMARK PROPERTIES Celebrating 10 years in business 510-206-7144 • www.ebpre.com BRE 01421746 Jaynelle Bell WE WILL BEAT ANY WRITTEN ESTIMATE New Garage Doors & Openers Door Repair • Spring Replacement Automatic Gates • Free Estimates ANY GARAGE DOOR INSTALLATION Must present coupon at time of estimate. $50 OFF! (510) 232-2062 www.rs4doors.com
Contra Costa Marketplace - July 2017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above