Tumbleweed Cat Rescue, a local foster-based nonprofit dedicated to cat rescue in the Tri-Cities, has recently been awarded a $7,000 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation. The grant aims to enhance the organization’s efforts in providing essential low-income community pet services, specifically focusing on vaccines and microchips.
President of Tumbleweed Cat Rescue, Annie McCartney, emphasized the critical need for increased vaccination efforts in light of the rising cases of Parvo Virus in recent years. McCartney stated, “There has been a huge increase in cases of Parvo Virus it seems like in recent years, which can be easily vaccinated again, if people get their animals vaccinated, and a lot of Lost and Found posts for animals, and animals getting out and lost, microchips will help with getting animals back to their owners.”
With the financial support from the Wildhorse Foundation, Tumbleweed Cat Rescue plans to organize events aimed at delivering vital low-cost vaccination and microchip services to the local community. McCartney anticipates that these initiatives will address both the surge in Parvo Virus cases and the increasing number of lost pets.
An upcoming event is scheduled for this weekend, although registration is filling up rapidly. McCartney acknowledges the strong demand for such services and expresses the organization’s commitment to holding these events regularly, aiming for quarterly occurrences initially and potentially transitioning to monthly events with sufficient volunteer support and resources.
In a bid to expand their capabilities, Tumbleweed Cat Rescue is actively seeking additional veterinary technicians or experienced volunteers to join their team for these events. McCartney affirms that discussions are underway with local veterinarian offices to host future events. She adds, “We don’t have our own facility. So, we are looking for places to host these and if there are any stores or veterinary offices or anyone who’s interested in partnering with us to host one of these, that would be a huge help. We’re also looking at hosting one potentially on one of the Native American reservations, if we can.”
The nonprofit also aims to leverage experienced veterinary volunteers to extend their services to include rabies vaccines in their repertoire. As the organization continues to plan and schedule more events for vaccines and microchips, they remain dedicated to their mission of improving the health and well-being of local pets while fostering stronger community ties.
