New Yorkers pay to volunteer - did the economy bounce back while i wasn't looking?
(a letter from our founder and director)
hi folks-
so...the good news is that we have been making great use of the new ASPCA MASH clinics on SI (let's hope they continue)
the not so good news is that the ASPCA has announced that they will hike their TNR clinic services prices for 2013 - - - don't worry, surgery/rabies/ear-tip will remain $5.00/cat
Revolution will be raised from $10 to $15 (a 50% cost increase)
FVRCP will be raised from $5 to a whopping $15 (a 200% cost increase!)
what this means is that the cost of surgery/rabies/ear-tip/fvrcp/revo combined will climb from it's current $20 to $35/cat (yes, that's a 75% cost increase, which is truly ludicrous.)
some of you may still recall when just a couple years ago, surgery/rabies/ear-tip was FREE, FVRCP was $2, and REVO was $7 - making the cost of these same services $9/cat - now it's $35...that a 288% increase in the cost to YOU, responsible citizens doing the community a service by TNR'ing cats the cats on our city streets
now let's be honest, we know money is tight all 'round, sure...but is it really tighter for the ASPCA than it is for each one of us? some of us are lucky enough to have jobs...and those of us out of work (and i know many among you in this boat) STILL take out their pockets to fix cats...many times for those in even worse a position than yourselves.
with the advent of MASH clinics, we have won a small but important victory in acquiring greater clinic resources (again - PLEASE write to the ASPCA at the addresses below to impress upon them that this program MUST continue)
for those of you who don't know already, it may be pertinent to add that both the Director of NYCACC, Julie Bank, and President of the ASPCA, Ed Sayres are stepping down from their posts. For possibly the first time in a decade, we have the opportunity for real and even lasting positive change and progress - let's take advantage of it to the benefit of the animals we break our backs for every day.
now it's time for the ASPCA and the Mayor's Alliance, two of the most powerful and prolific animal welfare entities in NY, to pursue funding in the form of grants to actually fund TNR itself.
the cost of fixing/vaxing/flea treating ten cats (cats that will likely only see a vet once in their entire lives) has just gone from $200 to $350...do you have that kind of money?
(those of you who DO have a job...imagine the face your boss would make if you asked him for a hefty raise so you could continue to volunteer for the greater good.)
even for a one-time project, this is a mighty steep price tag...what of those of us who have made TNR a habit? what does this mean for us?
in reality, it means that those cats (again - for the most part, cats with no access to these services other than during this project) will NOT receive an FVRCP vaccination...that they will NOT receive Revolution.
because we simply can't afford it.
and the response will be, "costs have risen, and it's still way cheaper than going to a vet..."
...well...yes - it is. but if you can't afford something, it really makes no difference how MUCH cheaper it is than something else that you can't afford either.
here are the addresses for you to make your voices heard as rescuers - as trappers, as community service participators, and as citizens of a city that obviously expects it's residents to foot the ever-increasing bill for TNR...we're essentially now paying to volunteer...
Aimee Christian | VP, Spay/Neuter Operations | ASPCA aimee.christian@aspca.org
Shelby Davis | Director, Spay/Neuter Operations | ASPCA shelby.davis@aspca.org
Jane Hoffman | President/Chair of Board | Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org
Michael Bloomberg | NYC's 108th Mayor | click here to contact the Mayor's office
in your correspondence, please be civil, concise, and stick to the facts. think appeal, not indictment. we need the assistance and cooperation of those who make the decisions and have the power to change policy in our city.
we want to be taken seriously, as this is rather a serious issue.
and if you write, and receive no response (it's been known to happen) - write again - keep writing. Please.
thank you all for your time and tireless dedication to making our world a better place - we would pay you for it if we could.
Sincerely,
Elena L. Bass
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