St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo will host its sixth annual Paws in the Park: Family Fun Day & Adoption Event this Saturday to benefit seven local foster-based rescues.
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The event will showcase adoptable animals and feature food, raffles, vendors and family activities. All proceeds will be split evenly among the rescues, which will also sell their own merchandise.
The annual event started as a way for St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo, a non-profit, all-volunteer cat rescue group, to help support their rescue partners.
“We are the only group that has a building and a venue,” said volunteer Katrina Organ. “We thought it would be really nice if we could kind of share resources, and it's only grown from there.”
Attendees can meet St. Cats & Dogs’ adoptable cats and kittens. The attending rescues — Animal Care Associates, Friends with Paws, Kitties of NEPA Pet Rescue, TT'S Rescue Squad, Scaly Tails Rescue and Silver Tales Rescue — may also bring adoptable animals.
“We want to emphasize to people that you don't have to be looking to adopt,” Organ said. “You don't even have to own an animal.”
“If you just want to come have a good time in the park with us, that's what we're looking for,” she said.
The event has grown to feature at least 100 donated assorted raffle baskets, a gift card wheel, food stands and a Kids Corner with a stuffed animal adoption center, small carnival games with prizes, face painting and sand art. Last year, they added games for dogs.
New this year, Scaly Tails Rescue will offer educational reptile presentations. St. Cats & Dogs will also debut new T-shirt designs, including one in memory of its rescue mascot, Crazy Paws, a black and white cat who died last year.
The rescue is also still accepting gift card and raffle donations. Call 570-604-4008 or message St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo on Facebook to schedule a drop-off time.
The Paws in the Park: Family Fun Day & Adoption Event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 700 Nay Aug Road, Scranton.
“Come spend the day outside and know that you are contributing not just to street cats, but to the broader rescue community in the area,” Organ said.
About St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo
Joanne Davis started St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo in 2012 to help control the area street cat population, utilizing the trap-neuter-return (TNR) method.
TNR is a humane, non-lethal solution to feral cat overpopulation. Feral cats are humanely trapped, fixed, vaccinated and returned to their original homes, controlling populations to reduce overpopulation and euthanasia in shelters.
Davis started the work in her own yard and saw the need when others reached out to her about starting TNR in their yards.
“There is really a great need in this area for cat rescue and population control,” Organ concurred.
St. Cats & Dogs started outside, then moved into a U-Haul. In 2014, the City of Scranton leased the old Nay Aug Zoo building to St. Cats & Dogs, which the rescue has worked to repair.
The facility has allowed the rescue to expand services and to provide animal medical services to adopt out hundreds of friendly cats and kittens over the years. Davis said St. Cats & Dogs has fixed about 32,000 animals.
Davis named the rescue St. Cats & Dogs because she initially planned to expand to include dogs. However, the rescue only fosters cats to meet the need and because additional space required for dogs is currently unavailable.
Davis now handles finances and processes adoption applications and vet checks, while also taking calls.
“The support's been amazing — 40 some volunteers,” Davis said, noting several volunteers come in for daily day and evening shifts. “I’m far from doing this by myself.”
“Everyone who comes in, it's on their own time,” Organ said. “We don't staff employees to clean the cages or any of that.”
St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, most Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. Sundays and other days by appointment.
Visit stcatsdogs.org for more information and St. Cats & Dogs of Nay Aug Zoo on Facebook for updates.
