Conclusion

Lynne asked my to evaluate Project Purr as my final blog post. I’ll do my best.

Obviously they’re not perfect. Project Purr needs a big technology upgrade. First of all, Lynne needs a cell phone. The main Project Purr line needs an upgrade as well. They could convert a lot of their paper (like newsletters, surveys, and any other snail mail) to emails. The Facebook page is excellent, and Lynne does a great job keeping it going.
Lynne and Margaret both need to eat. They don’t seem to understand that food is what keeps them healthy, and without them, Project Purr wouldn’t exist. They need to take a scheduled break every day to eat lunch. If the Animal Shelter can take an hour off, Lynne and Margaret can take at least a half hour. Toast with peanut butter and bananas does not count as a full meal.

Speaking of breaks, sometimes the work can be really hard and very depressing. Putting a block on it can help, but hurts more when the block goes down. Talk about it, and stop for a little while for a break. Use the break to take a rest, pet a cat, or think about something that is not related at all to cats!

Lynne is afraid to tell the public about where the cat colonies in the county are. She’s afraid that those places will become dumping grounds. She needs to get over that fear. Dumpers are going to dump, and it’s better that the cat ends up in a colony that is well taken care of. And the positive publicity will bring the people in!

Lynne doesn’t want to give up control of anything, because she feels like other people won’t do things right (at least that’s how I’ve been interpreting her). She needs to realize that it’s okay if people don’t do things exactly right. After all, they don’t have the experience she has. She needs to accept it, and know that people will learn. And she needs to take advantage of the amazing people around her! Project Purr has so many great, willing volunteers who just want to help! Let them in! There’s no shame in asking for help!

I'm very lucky to have been allowed into Project Purr. By being an intern and spending a summer living and breathing cats, I've learned all the highs and lows of cat rescue. Running a non-profit is even more difficult than I thought, but is also an incredibly rewarding experience. It's not just about the cats either, it's also about the people. Meeting and interacting with like-minded people brings me hope for the world. If there are so many great people out there, then we must be going in the right direction.

Project Purr is an unsung hero of Santa Cruz County. It is made of people who have literally devoted the rest of their lives completely to cats. They live and breathe cats and never get tired of it. And the cats they work with are incredibly afraid of them. These are cats that, when given the chance, will bite and scratch out of fear, they are not cute and cuddly kittens. And yet, Project Purr loves these cats that everyone else overlooks. Are they crazy? Yes, but crazy in a good way. They are changing the way Santa Cruz views cats, and decreasing the amount of cats that go into the shelter. They are saving lives and preventing suffering. They are heroes!