Press Release

ASPCA Awards $37,000 Grant to Central Oklahoma Humane Society

Funds Will Help with Feral Cat Surgeries

March 18,2010

ASPCA Media Contact

NEW YORK— The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced that it will provide a $37,000 grant to the Central Oklahoma Humane Society to fund a one-year program to support feral cat surgeries in Oklahoma City.

A total of $30,000 will be used to sterilize 1,000 feral cats through June 2010 and the remaining $7,000 will be used to purchase cat traps to assist colony managers whom Oklahoma City Animal Welfare and the Central Oklahoma Humane Society support.

"We look forward to helping support the great work of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society and the City of Oklahoma City," said Julie Morris, ASPCA Senior Vice President of Community Outreach. "Given the recent addition of Oklahoma City as one of our ASPCA partner communities, it makes sense to work together on community initiatives such as spay/neuter programs that help control animal populations."

"These funds will go a long way in reducing the populations of feral cats, and controlling future generations of unwanted pets," said Christy Counts of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. "We are grateful to the ASPCA for their support and encouragement of our collaborative efforts to save lives."

The ASPCA welcomed Oklahoma City Animal Welfare and the Central Oklahoma Humane Society as part of its national community partnership program in 2009. The partnership aims to save homeless animals by increasing adoptions, reducing euthanasia, and implementing targeted spay/neuter programs.

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Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501 [c] [3] not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

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