Betty White Day in Oxford County

Wednesday, 17 January 2024 11:28

Everyone is encouraged to donate to the Oxford County Animal Rescue and the Woodstock Kitten Nursery and Rescue today.

OXFORD COUNTY - Everyone is being encouraged to donate to their local animal shelter or rescue today, on what could have been Betty White's 102nd birthday.

The Golden Girl was an animal lover, so Betty White Day was created to raise money for animal care organizations.

Here in our community, our local animal rescues are bursting at the seams. Anna Holmes, the Foster Director for the Oxford County Animal Rescue, believes they have close to 75 animals in their care.

"People are setting them free, people are dropping off, and people are surrendering them for all different reasons. This year and even last year, all of the rescues and all of the groups have been at capacity."

She adds the Oxford County Animal Rescue uses most of the money it receives from donations to cover vet bills.

"So when they (the animals) come into our care, most of them have never seen a veterinarian or they saw a veterinarian many years ago. So we get them fully vaccinated, deworm them, and flea-treat them. With our kitties, we FIP and C-loop test them and then they're spayed/neutered. With our dogs, they also receive heartworm testing."

The Woodstock Kitten Nursery and Rescue specializes in kittens and pregnant cats. It also makes sure all of the cats and vetted and spayed/neutered before they find their forever homes. In addition to this Roxanne Jasan, who is a member of the adoption panel, says they continue to provide support to the families who choose to adopt or foster.

"We try to build a really close-knit community for the animals, and I think that's something that Betty was involved with. It wasn't just giving a donation, but creating an environment and a world where people are more generous with their time, their care, and their emotional commitment to the animals so they're providing them with a well-rounded environment for them to go from into a new home."

Jasan is also encouraging everyone to donate, adding every dollar counts.

"It can be $5, it could be $100, it could be anything that you want because we'll be happy to accept anything that we could get. It costs $5 a day to feed a cat and they're eating dry and wet food. We also provide them with probiotics."

The Woodstock Kitten Nursery and Rescue was able to raise $2,700 during Betty White Day last year.

You can donate to the Woodstock Kitten Nursery and Rescue online here and the Oxford County Animal Rescue online here. Both organizations are also in desperate need of fosters, and you can find more information on their websites.