For several months Liz Nowak and Carla Lynch have been working to control the animal population in Shawano County through Shawano Cares about Critters.
The women have their own Facebook page, shawanocaresaboutcirtters, where they give information and advice on taking care of pets.
“Carla and I met on Facebook,” Nowak said. “We started talking and found out we had a lot in common.”
They met while gathering information on a gecko.
“She contacted me for help,” said Nowak, who was involved in humane society issues in Chicago before moving here several years ago. “Our primary goal is to educate and help people.”
“There are a lot of resources that people aren’t aware of,” said Lynch, who lives in Bonduel.
While they want to help all animals, right now they are focusing on cats.
“We found the greatest need is the plight of the barn cat,” Nowak said. “So we turned our attention to that.”
Their site has a list of spay and neuter places along with trap/neuter/release ones.
“We have a waiting list of people who want to get their cats neutered,” Nowak said.
A grant from the Fox Valley Humane Society is allowing them to continue their work. Cats are taken to Fox Valley and Cats Anonymous in Green Bay.
“Other municipalities have been able to effectively and ethically control their stray cat population,” Lynch said.
The two women not only want to help control the animal population, they also find homes for animals, including recently a dog and a horse. They also help reptiles.
“Reptiles are one of the most inadvertently abused,” Nowak said.
Nowak keeps cats that she is fostering and some that are recovering from bad treatment in her Shawano home.
“When we’re over our heads, we network to get the animals placed,” Lynch said. “We’re not a dumping ground. Resources are out there and we want to make people aware of the resources. By helping people we’re helping the animals.”
Nowak and Lynch charge $35 to neuter a male and $50 to spay a female. They make $10 and $20, respectively, from those services. The money goes back into cat care, which includes not only food and litter but also transportation costs to the vets.
“We find a lot of people that don’t have time for their animals,” Lynch said.
The women are willing to speak to groups to let them know what they are doing and how others can help.
“We have a hard time accepting help but now we have to because we’re growing,” Nowak said.
Obviously both women have a deep compassion for animals.
“When you look at an animal you see a living thing, not just an inanimate object,” Lynch said. “They’re deserving of empathy and love because they return it to us.”
For more information, call Nowak at 715-524-0088 or go to their Facebook page.
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