Paws Animal Shelter seeks donors to take advantage of challenge grant

Paws Animal Shelter 1536 U.S. Route 36, Urbana, Urbana, received a challenge grant from The Polar Viper Fund, a Vanguard Charitable Trust, which will give a one-time match of five times the monthly pledge amount of all new monthly supporters.

If you pledge $10 a month, Paws will receive $50 from this fund. This challenge is designed to help increase recurring monthly donations to Paws to support the continuing efforts to find forever homes for stray cats and kittens.

If Paws raises $2,000 in recurring monthly pledges, The Polar Viper Fund will award it a one-time maximum payment of $10,000.

Paws has reached 40 percent of its goal of $2,000 in monthly pledges with more than $800 pledged.

Paws is asking people to continue to partner with them by committing to a monthly recurring donation.

If you’re already a monthly donor, this grant will match any increase in your donation amount.

The donation link is on our website at www.PAWSUrbana.com.

Paws’s mailing address for donation is: Paws Animal Shelter, 1535 W U.S. Rt 36, Urbana, OH 43078.

If it’s more convenient, you can make payments quarterly, semi-annually or even once a year.

Paws is a sought-after no-kill shelter that depends entirely on donations for its operation.

Because of its no-kill status, Paws receives many calls for help from all over, even out of state.

“We have a waiting list,” said Alice Stanford, Paws general manager. “We have a good reputation because we take such good care of our cats. They are loved here … Our cats live with us until they find a forever home.”

The intake process has many steps, each of them costing the shelter to take care of each animal.

“It’s a challenge for all of us to keep the doors open,” Stanford said.

The first step in the intake process begins with the surrender.

Stanford said Paws staff tries to ask for a $70 surrender fee to cover basic vetting, but usually end up taking whatever can be given at the time of the surrender.

Next the cats get defleaed and tested for feline leukemia and feline AIDS.

From there, the cats get two rounds of vaccinations over a three week period — not including a rabies vaccination.

On the flipside of the intake process is adoption.

To adopt, one must fill out an application which will take between three and four days to get processed.

Once approved the adopter must sign a contract stating they will not declaw the cat or let them outside.

Some animals can’t be adopted right away, such as kittens who are too small to be tested or adult cats who are extremely shy. In these cases the shelter relies on foster families, and Stanford said Paws is seeking more fosters.

“We always need fosters for our kittens,” she said. “Fosters and volunteers are really, really helpful.”

And visitors to the shelter are more than welcome.

“Our cats love visitors and it helps to socialize them so they are better able to be adopted,” Stanford said.

And none of this would be possible without Paws most important people — the donors.

“It really does take a village,” Stanford said. “We couldn’t do what we do without all the people donating.”

For more information about Paws and how to donate, call (937) 653-6233, or search Paws

How to help

Paws Animal Shelter, 1536 U.S. Route 36, Urbana, Urbana, had needs for the following items to be donated in support of their work:

• clumping cat litter;

• Purina cat chow complete (blue bag);

• Purina kitten chow (yellow bag);

• dryer softener sheets;