Live and Let Live Farm Rescue & Sanctuary took in three litters of feral kittens last week, rescued from the cold by animal control officers in Tilton and Pittsfield.
The 19 cats are safe and warm now, playing in enclosures lined with towels and blankets at the farm in Chichester.
Farm director Teresa Paradis said the animals will eventually be adopted – but first they must be vaccinated, spayed and neutered and receive microchips.
The rescue does not have its own paid veterinarian to perform these procedures. It has to outsource to local vets – and sometimes it can take months to get appointments.
But a new initiative for an RV for a mobile spay/neuter clinic could make the process much easier for animals and volunteers.
Live and Let Live Farm is joining forces with Funds 4 Paws to purchase a $35,000 RV unit that can be used to help animals at Live and Let Live and other smaller rescues in the state.
Paradis said the on-the-go rescue unit will help immensely. She said some of the most common animals she sees are adult cats with litters who have been cast out because the owner was not prepared to care for them.
The organizations have a goal of using the RV to set up clinics throughout New Hampshire and Maine, primarily in the central to Northern parts of the state and Southern Maine, where a greater need for veterinary services exists.
They will use the vehicle to offer free clinics for feral cats and low or no-cost assistance for low-income pet owners. Paradis said they also hope to be able to use the RV to provide on-site assistance in emergency situations where large numbers of animals need immediate Veterinary care.
Paradis said she’d like to have the mobile clinic up and running by the spring, however, she said both organizations are looking for the community support funding the mobile unit.
Depending on where the mobile unit is traveling, it will contract with a vet in that area to perform the procedures for the day.
Paradis said she is looking to members of the community to sponsor procedures. For example, it costs $50 to sponsor vaccines and microchipping of a cat or dog; $75 to sponsor the neuter of a male cat; $100 to sponsor the spaying of a female cat; $150 to sponsor the neutering of a male dog; $200 to sponsor the spaying of a female dog.
To sponsor a day-long clinc for a feral cat colony, the cost would be $1,800. To sponsor a low-income clinic, the cost is $1,200.
Paradis said Live and Let Live received an anonymous donor who was agreed to match up to $10,000 in donations that are collected by the end of the month.