Community Partnership for Pets works with the Warren County Animal Ark and Warrenton Animal Clinic to help reduce the unwanted pet population in the area and to provide pet owners with options to care for their animals. A recent $50,000 grant will go a long way to help spay and neuter pets belonging to families in Warren County, said Mary Cervini, president and founder of Community Partnership for Pets.The grant comes from the Ken Barlow Family Charitable Trust in honor of Barlow’s childhood friend, Bobby Blaylock.”We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Mr. Barlow for his generosity and compassion for animals in Warren County,” Cervini said.In March 2021 the partnership offered a program that reduced the cost to spay and neuter cats – domestic or feral – from $40 to $10.The Ark, which is the county’s animal shelter, also started a Barn Cat Program designed to get feral cats and kittens out of the shelter as soon as possible. Often, feral cats and kittens are not adoptable and the barn cat program is a way to give this type of feline a second chance. The cats are spayed or neutered and then offered to families who want outdoor cats on their property or barn instead of in their home. These cats will no longer reproduce but can live out their life in an environment they are familiar with. Anyone wanting one of these cats can call the Ark for more information. There is no cost to the family who wants one of these cats; however, they must agree to provide these cats with food, water and shelter as you would any animal in your care.
According to information from the Ark, the number of cats euthanized has dropped to 18 percent from 44 percent and the number of cats leaving the Ark alive is up to 79 percent from 51 percent. In addition, almost two dozen cats have been rehomed through the Barn Cat Program.