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Cats
Animals seem to strike a passionate chord in the
hearts of many county residents that goes
beyond the simple pleasure of household pets.
We do not like to imagine animals suffering, but as is often the case, out of sight, out of mind.
Rappahannock County has a ‘no-kill shelter’ for dogs. The Rappahannock Animal Welfare League has done a stellar job, caring for abandoned and stray dogs, finding new homes for them, and ensuring that their reproductive activity is halted. But they don’t shelter cats.
Rappahannock is, and remains, the only county in Virginia without a cat shelter.
Last year, Franklin and Esther Schmidt and a group of concerned residents, started RappCats, a non-profit, all volunteer cat rescue organization. They were concerned about the growing number of stray and feral cats in the county.
A friend had come by with three starving kittens and asked, “What do I do with these?”
There was no place to call, no where to go, no way to help the kittens.
RappCats has attempted to educate residents about the problem, help with sterilization, and find homes for some of the cats.
But RappCats is not a shelter, and despite the Schmidts’ and others’ efforts, the problem is still significant.
It is hard to contemplate more spending in these difficult times, but leaving the problem to fester is not really an option either.
Cats can spread disease, they continue to increase in population and can be nuisances.
We think it is time for the Board of Supervisors, RappCats and concerned residents to begin a dialogue about finding ways to fund and build a cat shelter.
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