This is why spay/neuter/gelding is important. Because animals like Hank, whose history will remain forever a mystery to us, can and should be rehabbed from a wild untrusting inconvenient trouble-making potentially dangerous baby-maker; into a friendly healthy safe enjoyable easy-to-have-around animal friend who will no longer reproduce other wild potentially dangerous critters as he was in his previous life.
You may remember Hank; we began to tell his story a few months ago. A wild Tom who had roamed the trees at New Hope Horse Shelter for the last 2-3 years. This photo is right before Xmas 2010. This is as close as we had ever been to Hank at that time.
When our Winter got so terribly and consistently cold this year, Hank began to show up in the barn. And, little by little, we were able to entice him to come closer and closer to us. And the last few weeks we have been petting him and scratching him and listening to his happy kitty purrs.
On Monday, Feb. 28, we determined he was ready. We set a big porta-kennel in Hank's favorite area in the barn. And in he strolled. Door shut. Headed for the Vet. Dr. Teri Michaels, DVM, at Hartford Veterinary Clinic in Hartford SD was participating in our Spay Day Event, so that's where Hank went.
this is Dr. Micahels & Hank,
in the beautiful Hartford Veterinary Clinic
Hank was neutered on March 1. He had no signs of bugs but his ears were very dirty. He got dewormed and of course vaccinated. All of the 17 cats who live here are spayed/neuterd and also vax & debugged annually. Well, debugged more often. Dr. Michaels said when we do that consistently we can definitely get the ear mites and stuff out of our cat population. So I think that's what we have done here!
Hank is spending a few days, after his surgery, in the entry way here.
Then we'll release him out with the garage cats and he can decide where he wants to set up shop. in the garage or barn. The garage is heated, and there is a little room in the barn that is heated too. So either way will be purrfect.
And this is why most dogs and cats should be spayed and neutered and why most stallions should become geldings. WE can change their lives in a good way for them.
So anyway, if you could please donate even $5 by voting for one of our photos, you will be helping to keep our spay/neuter/gelding fund going. So we can continue to help other animals like Hank. This past year we have helped 12 cats, a horse, and 3 dogs; and that means we've helped these animals' humans too of course, helped them with their expenses and helped them to have a better pet or a better horse.
Participation in our Spay Day events is way way way way down this year. That is sad. Sad for the animals.
REMEMBER, VOTING ENDS TONIGHT THURSDAY AT 9 P.M CST
Vote for Hank's friend Frank
click on the above link to vote.
