Linda Desjardins, executive director of Cats TNR and Rescue, was elated when Westman Communications reached out about being the recipient of this year’s fundraising event. The communications group, which runs Westman Cable Television among other services,  has been on a tour of Westman to towns in their service area, raising funds for local charities and spreading information about their offerings. The Neepawa event was a barbecue in the parking lot of the local Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op Food Store, which donated all proceeds to the organisation.

Cats TNR’s primary purpose is to rescue strays and lost cats in the Neepawa area. As a rural community, there are large populations of barn cats as well as many feral cats, but it is also unfortunately a popular dumping ground for unwanted cats and kittens. The organisation has a network of about 20 foster homes as well as a small shelter for their rescues, and also works to trap feral cats to fix them and either return them to where they were found or find them barn homes in the area.

Desjardins says that spaying and neutering cats is the best way to prevent the population from increasing, because there is such a crisis in Manitoba right now with abandoned cats. Volunteers are always needed by Cats TNR and Rescue, especially to transport cats as well as to foster them until they can find forever homes. All volunteers work to their own schedules so there is no commitment in terms of times of day or days of the week. Anyone interested in helping out can contact the organisation through their Facebook page.