Gimme shelter: Pop-up shelter giveaway aims to keep cats from the cold
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An effort happening on Saturday aims to protect cats against the incoming winter chill and snow.
Indianapolis Animal Care Services and the group Indy Neighborhood Cats are hosting a ‘pop-up’ version of the giveaways they have held over the past two months.
If you go, you can get a free winter shelter aimed at protecting what are considered ‘Community Cats’ from the elements.
The IACS Community Cat program is part of the city’s strategy for managing the free-roaming feline population, whether the animals be stray, feral, abandoned, or other circumstances that leave them outdoors and without owners.
Both the IACS program and Indy Neighborhood Cats endorse the three-step Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) strategy of collecting free-roaming cats, spaying or neutering them, then releasing them. Many of the animals become familiar fixtures in local communities, with neighbors often volunteering as caretakers to feed and look after the health of the cats.
Throughout November and December, organizers held a series of giveaways, offering portable foam-and-straw shelters built to protect cats against foul weather.
The Stormtrack 8 forecast calls for a string of very cold days over the next week, raising the dangers for animals that live outside.
The pop-up winter shelter pickup pickup happens from noon to 2pm at the IACS facility at 2600 South Harding Street.
If you’re interested in becoming a caretaker through the Community Cats program, email communitycats@indy.gov or call 317-327-1429.