Spay and Stay of Lake County receives grant for feral cats in Waukegan

PetSmart Charities has awarded Spay and Stay in Lake County a grant to spay/neuter, vaccinate and microchip 750 free-roaming/stray/feral cats at no cost to registered colony caretakers in Waukegan.

The grant extends through July 1, 2013.

Cats can breed beginning at age 6 months, adding many kittens to the overpopulation problem. Spay and Stay and Waukegan will reduce this problem through their project “Fixin’ Waukegan.” This is the second grant Spay and Stay has received from PetSmart Charities to assist the people and cats in Waukegan. The first grant paid for surgery and vaccinations for 250 cats between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2011.

Interested Waukegan residents can register their colony and request spay/neuter service through the Spay and Stay website www.spayandstay.org, or by calling (847) 289-4557 or going to Waukegan Animal Control, 1698 N. McAree Road, Waukegan, for registration information.

For the past 10 years, Spay and Stay has been working to end feline homelessness in Lake County. The group says the solution is TRAP NEUTER RETURN, or TNR for short. Spay and Stay has worked with more than 800 feral cat colony caretakers and sterilized and vaccinated more than 5,449 cats through July 17.