Feral Feline Friends served 235 cats in 2022
Taos Feral Feline Friends, a nonprofit that provides free spay/neuter and other critical services to help keep the local cat population healthy and under control, arranged 206 free spay/neuter surgeries in 2022 — a 140-percent increase over 2021 activity, according to a press release.
In total, the organization helped 235 cats last year, in addition to providing $8,700 worth of free food and veterinary payment assistance for low-income county residents.
Taos Feral Feline Friends received roughly $73,000 in grants and donations to support its charitable programs in 2022, resulting in an increase of $14,000 to its net assets, which stood at approximately $136,000 as of Dec. 31 last year. A final, complete financial statement, including the organization’s 2022 annual report, is available on the Taos Feral Feline Friends website, taosferalfelinefriends. tripod.com.
“In 2022, we exceeded all expectations for our free spay/ neuter programs as the availability of vet appointments improved considerably from the pandemic-affected circumstances we faced in 2020 and 2021,” said Leanne Mitchell, president of Taos Feral Feline Friends. “Many thanks to Salazar Road Veterinary Clinic, without whose tireless efforts, we could not have accomplished such improved results.
“Looking ahead, I anticipate comparable, and possibly increased, spay/neuter activity during 2023,” Mitchell continued. “However, I must caution the community that our spay/ neuter successes, essential as they are for animal welfare in Taos, are unlikely by themselves to reverse the overpopulation of homeless cats which has been continually building since the pandemic. We are still waiting and hoping that Stray Hearts will join us in offering the people of Taos reliable free spay/ neuter, a development that we believe is necessary to end this tragedy of homeless, shelter-less cats.”