HISTORY
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In 2012, one of the founding members of Operation Catnip organized a meeting, calling for individuals interested in lobbying for a an affordable spay/neuter clinic in Peterborough.
The cat population in her neighbourhood was exploding and options to control it were minimal. Trapping one cat at a time was a daunting task. At the very least, she hoped to find a small group of individuals to support each other in controlling their own neighbourhood cat population through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
COMMUNITY CARE
The response was overwhelming! Over 30 people attended from all walks of life: concerned citizens, local vets and vet techs, city councillors, and representatives from every animal welfare organization in the area.
In the ensuing months, there were many more meetings and the group identified that the most pressing need was for an organization that offered TNR services for feral and abandoned cats. With this focus in mind, Operation Catnip was born!
Our mission statement: We are committed to reducing the population of feral and abandoned cats in Peterborough through a Trap-Neuter-Return-Maintain Program.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
After many months, our volunteer group established a non-profit organizational framework and worked diligently on putting all the necessary pieces together, with the goal of being operational in the spring of 2013.
We trapped our first 2 cats in April 2013. Our annual goal was to TNR 100 cats. In our first year, we TNR’d 112 cats! A clear indication that our services were very much needed in our community! Not only did we help our community feral and homeless cats, we also helped their caregivers. There are many kind and caring people in our community who lack the resources and the know how to deal with this issue.
TAKE OFF!
Since our first trapping in 2013, we have served over 2100 cats in Peterborough and surrounding area through TNR and colony management strategies. The need for our services is still strong, and we continue to surpass our annual goal of 100 cats quite easily.
The community has expressed their overwhelming gratitude to Operation Catnip for assisting these cats and their caregivers. We are so grateful for all the help over the years from our caregivers, volunteers, donors, vet partners, and everyone who looks out for our community cats. We couldn’t do this without any of you!
OPERATION CATNIP Peterborough 