A dedicated local organization committed to aiding abandoned and mistreated animals is taking steps to empower the next generation to make a meaningful impact on the community.
For approximately three years, residents of Radcliff have been actively seeking solutions to address the issue of the city’s stray cat population. The initiative began when an individual expressed a desire to foster a 10-day-old kitten, marking the inception of this noble cause for Mari Nall and Toshie Murrell, a Radcliff City Council member and co-founder of Forever Homes for Paws.
According to Mari Nall, a board member of Forever Homes for Paws, the need for addressing the plight of cats with nowhere to go, feral cats, and unsprayed mothers led to the formation of “Hardin County Community Cats” last year. In the span of this year alone, the organization has taken in over 100 cats.
“We adopt them out and then they’re spayed, neutered, and given rabies shots,” Nall explained.
This approach, known as TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), has been advocated for years as an effective method to improve the lives of cats, address community concerns, reduce complaints about cats, and break the breeding cycle, according to Autumn O’Neal from Alley Cat Advocates and Friends of Hardin County Animal Shelter, who endorsed it alongside Murrell at the Colvin Community Center in 2021.
Murrell is committed to spreading awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering, and to further this cause, she collaborated with Jeremy Hall, the instructor of a Veterinary Science program at John Hardin High School. Together, they organized a visit for Hall’s students to observe a spay surgery at the Lost Pounds Pet Center in Radcliff, facilitated by Dr. Vasi Wilk, a former student of Hall.
“Vasi comes to the school and to our vet lab and does a lot of procedures with the kids to show them the ins and outs of everything,” Hall remarked. “To bring them to actually see it is something that you don’t get in the classroom, so it’s cool to get them out here and watch these things happen.”
Dr. Wilk and Hall are contemplating ways to involve more students in the program, given the current shortage of veterinarians due to the high cost of schooling and the extensive prerequisites for vet school. Dr. Wilk explained, “It’s just really hard to get spays and neuters for pets done because all the vets everywhere are booked up for months out.”
The students who had the opportunity to witness the procedure expressed their enthusiasm for the experience. Jazmine Caswell, a student, stated, “It’s a great opportunity to be able to work with a vet, come to a vet clinic, and see a cat being spayed.”
Another student, Jayanna Powell, added, “When I go to college, I can look back on this, be ahead of my class, and be ready.”
Murrell emphasized the importance of finding solutions to these challenges and expressed her gratitude for the support of community members who generously donate their time, such as Hall and Dr. Wilk, as well as those who contribute essential surgical tables and equipment, such as Gayle and Wendy Johnson from Hardin County Pet Protection.
“This is a community effort to work with the school, and Mr. Hall’s class, in particular, because he’s the only one in the county school system that even has this program,” Murrell emphasized. “We’re now all connected and going to do things together for the community.”
