Guest Blogger: Kelley Mallick, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program Assistant
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'” Each year, Americans answer that question by coming together on the MLK Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 88 North Allegheny High School students, including members of the Key Club and the National Honor Society, embraced this initiative on Monday, January 21, 2013 at the school’s Second Annual MLK Day of Service. The students decided to partner with Animal Friends for this important day of service. The slogan for the day was “Turn your day OFF into a day ON!”
One pressing problem in western Pennsylvania is the care of feral and stray cats. Feral cats are descendants of domestic cats. They live outside as wild animals and can no longer be handled by humans. Stray cats are typically cats that once had homes and have been abandoned .
To address the need for care of these animals while living outside during our cold winter months, one of the Day of Service projects this year was to build winter housing for feral and stray cats living in our community. Each house was constructed by lining a sturdy box with thick styrofoam for insulation. The boxes were then wrapped with tough plastic sheeting, and taped with Gorilla tape to make them as water tight as possible. The houses, once filled with a bedding layer of straw (provided by Animal Friends) provide a warm, dry place for these cats to take refuge from the cold.
Thank you North Allegheny students! Thanks to you 50 cat homes were built and Animal Friends was able to distribute them and collect $250 in donations!