FERRYSBURG, Mich. (WOOD) — Workers at an animal shelter in Ferrysburg are putting a twist on Valentine’s Day.
Heaven Can Wait Animal Haven , a nonprofit animal shelter, is running a fundraiser called “Neuter Your Ex” to address the problem of increasing cat populations.
Volunteers said they borrowed the idea from a rescue in Maryland. For a $25 donation, you help pay for a stray cat to get spayed or neutered and name that cat after your ex. Most of the cats are then released back into the wild.
Last year, the shelter trapped, neutered and released 598 cats. Since running this fundraiser, more than 50 names have been submitted and almost $2,000 has been raised.
The nonprofit has five volunteer trappers. The volunteers are able to trap and fix around 12 cats a week, so it may take until April for the organization to use all of the names they have gotten so far.
Michelle Yasenak, a secretary and volunteer at Heaven Can Wait, said this fundraiser is a fun way to spread awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering.