In addition to needing foster families and people willing to adopt dogs and cats, Spay and Save Inc., a nonprofit pet rescue organization that serves Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, is in need of people willing to spend time with cats and kittens that are housed at local pet stores while waiting for their permanent homes.
Volunteers are needed at the Petco stores in Exton, Paoli and Limerick to perform routine maintenance, like refilling water and food bowls, and then spend time cuddling and playing with the cats and kittens that are housed there.
"We have several Petcos that allow us to display our kitties in the habitats they provide. They are not cages; they are stationary habitats that can hold two to five kitties at a time," explained Araceli Wakil, adoption location coordinator. "They stay for a week and half, and, if not adopted, they go back to a foster home. We need to tend to them twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening."
Volunteers are asked to make a commitment of at least one hour each week, the time it takes to complete the necessary tasks in the pet store. "There are two parts to the job. The first part is cleaning and refreshing the food and water and scooping out the litter, and the other part is making sure the cats are doing OK and are showing no signs of distress," said Wakil. "You can be there as long as you want. You can do your cleaning and then pet and groom the kitty. If you want to be there for two hours, that's fine."
She said that volunteering in the pet stores is ideal for people who want to be of help to a pet rescue without the commitment of bringing a dog or cat into their homes. It is also a volunteer job that can be done with a friend or family member.
"Most people do this in pairs, either parents with children or married couples," Wakil said. "It's a great job for parents who want to spend more on-on-one time with their children, and for high school students, it's a good resume builder for college. It is a commitment; you don't get paid, but you have a job to do."
Prospective volunteers are asked to complete an application at http://www.spayandsave.org/volunteer. They will be contacted by the organization about where their services are needed.
Other volunteer opportunities available through the rescue include transporting pets and working on Saturdays when monthly adoption events are held. "When we need to get (cats) to a store or to an (adoption) event, we need people to drive them - an Uber car for cats," Wakil said. "It's seems like a small job, but it's a big deal. If cats can't get there to be seen, they can't get adopted as quickly."
Pet adoption events are held monthly at different locations. Spay and Save will have cats for adoption at the Exton Petco, located in the Whiteland Towne Center, 125 W. Lincoln Highway, Exton, on Saturday, Sept. 14, from noon to 4 p.m. Other adoption events are listed at http://www.spayandsave.org/events.
"We have an application process plus we check veterinarian references," Wakil said. "Once you get approved, you can pick up the kitty from the store or the foster home, and a volunteer would meet you for a 'handover.'"
Spay and Save was founded in the late 1970s by the late Peg Banes, who passed away in 2007. The mission of the organization is to rescue, treat and find homes for animals in need using a network of volunteers and foster homes.
In addition, Spay and Save provides assistance to pet owners with financial difficulties by providing low-cost spaying neutering and veterinary care.
For more information about Spay and Save and to view photos of adoptable cats and dogs, readers may visit http://www.spayandsave.org and http://www.facebook.com/spayandsave.
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