Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Support
Because RMACA’s mission is to provide spay/neuter services for feral and stray cats, humane cat trapping is a crucial step toward upholding our mission. Trapping isn't hard to learn, but it does require a special dedication. RMACA provides traps and training for TNR. Our trappers feel immense accomplishment knowing they directly prevent countless unwanted kittens from being born while improving the lives of feral cats in our community.
Trappers:
- Catch feral or stray cats in humane traps.
- Transport captured cats to a veterinary clinic for spay/neuter, testing, and other treatment if necessary.
- Return feral cats to their colonies.
- For the tame strays and kittens, coordinate – with the Operations Coordinator -- foster care, or transfer to a Metro Denver Shelter Alliance member agency.
Spay/Neuter Clinic Support
RMACA hosts several spay/neuter clinics every month. Volunteers handle check-in and check-out for these events, help ensure that the proper paperwork is completed, and may do other administrative tasks as necessary.
Colony Caretaking
Colony caretakers maintain feral colonies with RMACA assistance. Feral colonies typically consist of five to 20 cats living in a public environment.
Colony caretakers:
- Provide neutered feral colonies with food and fresh water several times per week.
- Report any new colony cats to RMACA's Spay/Neuter Coordinator to be trapped and altered.
- Report any injured cats in the colony to RMACA's Spay/Neuter Coordinator to be trapped and rehabilitated (if possible).
Emergency Response
Occasionally RMACA is requested to provide immediate, emergency help to save the life of a cat or kitten in danger. Often RMACA's Spay/Neuter Coordinator responds to emergencies; but, we also seek volunteer emergency responders to provide assistance if necessary.
Foster Care and Adoption Support
Foster Home Volunteers:
RMACA needs dedicated foster parents for feral and orphaned kittens and tame strays. RMACA limits the number of cats or kittens in a foster home in order to provide the best possible environment for socialization and adoption.
Foster volunteers must have an area in their home, such as an extra bedroom, where they can isolate new cats until they can be examined by a veterinarian. Foster parents need some flexibility in their work schedule to take cats to veterinary appointments as needed.
Many of the kittens we rescue have never known a human touch. Feral kittens require time and patience to learn trust, but taming is one of the most rewarding things a human being can experience. Likewise, helping traumatized or injured adult cats find their way back to a safe world brings a sense of joy unlike any other!
Foster homes:
- Provide loving care for foster cats and/or kittens at home until they are ready to be adopted.
- Transport foster cats to veterinary appointments as needed and adoption displays on a regular basis.
- Provide information on cats to webmaster and Operations Coordinator.
- Maintain records of all fostering and veterinary activities.
- Socialize feral kittens, re-socialize abandoned cats, or provide recouperative care for injured or ill cats.
Adoption Counselors
RMACA's adoptable cats and kittens live in foster homes until they are ready to be adopted. They meet the public at RMACA during office hours and at PETsMART on Saturdays. Adoption counselors are crucial to our organization and always in short supply.
Adoption counselors:
- Attend adoption events at PetsMart (and/or other locations).
- Provide information about adoptable cats and kittens to interested families.
- Take calls from potential adopters.
- Interview potential adopters.
- Work with potential adopters and foster homes to facilitate adoptions.
Event Planning & Staffing
Event planning volunteers assist with the planning and preparation of RMACA’s events, activities and community appearances. The work of these volunteers is very important in helping us to raise money for veterinary expenses, recruit new volunteers, meet new people to join our mailing list and communicate RMACA’s mission to the public.
Our events encompass a wide variety of activities, including smaller opportunities such as neighborhood appearances and tabling at community fairs, and larger events such as the annual Stray Cat Strut annual fundraiser and the Colorado Pet Expo.
On-site volunteers attend RMACA events and activities and help with set-up/breakdown and various other tasks depending on the specific event or activity. Volunteers speak on behalf of the organization and educate event attendees about our mission.
Marketing
RMACA’s work is only successful if people know about it! Our marketing volunteers write stories for neigborhood newsletters, create fliers, and look for other opportunities to spread the word about RMACA.
Educational Outreach
Outreach volunteers work in cooperation with RMACA’s Spay/Neuter Coordinator by speaking about our organization, the plight of feral and stray cats, and Trap-Neuter-Return procedures at Neighborhood Association Meetings and at other neighborhood events.
Carpenters/Builders/Handymen
Handymen and women can help feral cat colonies by building shelters, feeding stations, or special traps from plans supplied by RMACA. Our foster cats also appreciate cat trees! From time to time RMACA may also need assistance with small building/repair projects at our facility.
Veterinarians and Vet Techs
Veterinarians and vet techs can provide services for feral cats in countless ways. You may be able to provide spay/neuter or medical care at reduced cost, volunteer your time at an RMACA feral spay/neuter clinic, or be available for rare emergency situations. RMACA fully understands the financial burdens and expectations that vets and techs face each day, and will work to ensure the best scenario for you and our cats.
Administrative Volunteers/Professional Skills
RMACA always welcomes assistance with administrative work, including data entry, filing, internet research, etc. RMACA is a very active organization that needs accountants, lawyers, advertisers, marketers, photographers, mailers, grant writers, computer whizzes, and more. If you have a skill, trade, or contacts that you think might be helpful to RMACA, we'd like to hear from you.
Transport
Periodically RMACA needs volunteers to transport donated cat food to our facility, drive adoptable cats to PetSmart, or, deliver trapped feral cats to spay/neuter clinics.
Board Members
RMACA is governed by a volunteer board of directors. Becoming an RMACA director is a great way to hone business skills and meet a variety of different people, all while serving the community.