GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The bad news is that Kent County has an abundance of stray and feral cats. The good news is that there's a new cat-based rescue facility set to open in Grand Rapids that will not only work hard to make sure feral cats get spayed, neutered and become adoptable, it will also educate the public on how they can help.
"One unspayed cat can create 11,000 cats in 5 years," said Laura Moody, owner of Second Chance Cats, which is hosting its grand opening Friday, Aug, 20. "There's a big need in the community for a cat rescue because last year, at the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown, they stopped spay and neuter for all animals, so for several months, cats reproduced at an insane rate."
Second Chance won't be a shelter. Instead, it'll be a cat adoption center.
"Once [the cats] have been spayed, neutered, vaccinated, de-wormed and rehabilitated medically, they will be brought to us," Moody added. "We give them a space to decompress, allowing them to come out on their own and then they can be adopted into a wonderful home, giving them a second chance at life."
Moody, who is a former x-ray technician and medical assistant, returned home to Grand Rapids from Colorado to pursue her dream of starting her own cat rescue.
"We want to work with other rescues in the community and also the municipal shelters so we can all work together and find a solution for this," said Moody. "No one person can do all this."
The grand opening of Second Chance Cats will be a three-day event, and the public is welcome. Friday Aug. 20 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 21 from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 22 from noon to 5 p.m.
There will be a minimum $10 fee to enter, with 100% of the proceeds being reinvested in the care and treatment of the cats. Visitors will be allowed to meet and play with the cats, watch videos to learn how to trap-and-rescue feral cats as well as have a chance to win several raffle prizes.
If visitors find themselves wishing to adopt, they can go to Second Chance Cats website and fill out an adoption application.
Second Chance Cats is located at 1120 Knapp St. SE in Grand Rapids.
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