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CNY SNAP Looks for Volunteers to Help Provide a Valuable Service for Animals CNY SNAP Looks for Volunteers to Help Provide a Valuable Service

By Amalia Brownell

a ruby caviler spaniel sniffs a black cat
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AMALIA BROWNELL: The Cat Coalition relies on others to help find homes for countless stray cats across Syracuse. These cats aren’t kept in a shelter but instead rely on volunteers to take the animals into foster homes or store adoption centers, like the Luna Cat Cafe. The Cat Coalition also relies on the C-N-Y Spay/Neuter Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides a more affordable option for those looking to spay or neuter their pets. Cat Coalition president, Rebekah McGraw says that every Monday the Coalition sends around 23 cats to be fixed.

REBEKAH MCGRAW: The CNY SNAP spay and neuter clinics are very, very important because without them you’d see the cat population expand so much. / Spay and neuter is the only way to stop cats from being homeless on the streets.

BROWNELL: Besides helping keep down the population, McGraw says that spaying and neutering is important for the cats’ health too.

MCGRAW: For male cats, it reduces the smell that happens that a lot of people are sensitive to, with male cat urine. It gives them a longer lifespan. For female cats its especially important they get fixed and spayed because it reduces the risk of uterine infection and many other complications that are more likely to happen for every heat the cat goes into.

BROWNELL: Spaying and neutering are the core of many animal rescues due to how fixing an animal helps control the population. McGraw says this is why spay and neuter clinics, like the ones SNAP offers, are incredibly important. Without them, she notes that the Cat Coalition wouldn’t be able to exist.

MCGRAW: If we didn’t have those spay and neuter clinics through SNAP or any other avenue, there would be no Cat Coalition. There is no rescuing cats without getting them fixed.

BROWNELL: Amalia Brownell, N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – A local nonprofit is looking for volunteers to help it provide a valuable service for animals. Every Monday and Saturday, Central New York’s Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (CNY SNAP) teams up with Shelter Outreach Services to provide low-cost spay and neuter clinics for dogs and cats in Cortland, New York. Shelter Outreach Services provides the vet and vet tech, while SNAP provides the space and volunteers.

Now, SNAP says they need more volunteers to help run these clinics.

SNAP volunteer coordinator Josh Sahler says volunteers in the clinic can work in three different areas.

The first is intake. Here, Sahler says volunteers do things like weigh the animals, prepare their paperwork and get them ready for their appointments.

The next is post-op where Sahler says volunteers will prepare the animals for surgery by doing things like taking them out of their crates and getting them up on the table.

After surgery, volunteers then check on the animals, administer flea treatment, do nail trims and miscellaneous tasks like making sure everything is clean and ready for the next animal.

Sahler says the final area is paperwork. As the name suggests, volunteers working in this area fill out paperwork and make sure everything is filled out and ready to go home with the animal at the end of the day.

Volunteers have the option to work the whole day or only half so whatever works best for their schedule.

“I think it’s great for people that are looking for something to do something to give them up you know sense of accomplishment,” said Sahler.

While it might seem a bit daunting, Sahler says to just come ready to learn as SNAP makes sure all of its volunteers are trained up to the task. Sahler believes that volunteering with SNAP is an excellent way for people who love animals to give back to their community. He also notes that volunteering in these clinics can also be useful for those who may be considering a career in animal welfare.

If you’re considering volunteering with SNAP, Sahler recommends filling out the volunteer form on SNAP’s website. If you can’t volunteer but still would like to get involved, Sahler says something as simple as sharing a Facebook post to help SNAP spread their information can be very helpful. Beyond that, he suggests donating to SNAP or buying something off its Amazon or Chewy wish list.

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