The Real Story

Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force invites you to read our most current press releases and articles from National publications.

NORTH VALLEYCOUNTYCOMMUNITIESTURN

OUT TO “UPDATE” THE BARN CATS

            They came by the hundreds, many in a motley assortment of cages from bird cages to rabbit hutches.   One group of fourteen kittens came in one carrier.  And when North Valley County Operation Barnstorming was done, July 21 and 22, 186 barn cats from rural areas around Peerless, Opheim and Larslan had been spayed or neutered, given rabies vaccines and were on their way home to healthier lives as more productive mousers on the ranch team.

             “And hundreds of births ‘of new kittens were’ prevented,” said a tired but happy coordinator, Marisa Lipsey.   Cats and barns go together here inNorthValleyCounty.  They have been a team since the first granaries were built to store the first grain crops planted in theMiddle Eastby our ancestors.  But, cats can become too much of a good thing.  Uncontrolled breeding leads to barn cat overpopulation and cats fighting for territory, for food, and during mating; less energy is spent on their assigned job – protecting the barn and its stores.

             Operation Barnstorming, a grass roots project being launched by the Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force, was a solution that Lipsey and her neighbors wanted to try.   A team was organized for the Fire Hall in Opheim, a ranch near Larslan and an automotive repair shop in Peerless.   Two participating Task Force veterinarians, Drs. Diana Scollard of Absorkie and Craig Moore of Choteau, Montana, led the surgery teams who also taught locals how to back them up in the clinic setting.  Surgeries were no cost and funded by the Task Force.

             “The community,” said Lipsey, “was more than willing to get their hands dirty and help with everything from recovering cats, running oxygen, cutting up surgery blankets and taking care of the paperwork.  Quite an outpouring of help!  Including several young volunteers.”

             These pioneer barn and barn cat owners and the team that pulled Operation Barnstorming together are now an example and a force for future projects for northeastMontanaand its many barns.

 Sheridan Post Press Release, May 23, 2011
555 Sheridan Dogs And Cats And Their Community Now Headed For Better Lives

The Latham Letter, Spring 2006
As the song goes, “It was a very good year.” The Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force Nine Years and 28,421 Dogs and Cats Later