For a Homeless Cat:
There's Nothing Like Warm LAPS

By Jeffrey Allen Federowicz - Webb Weekly Staff

No matter who (or what) you are, there is no place like home.

Sometimes that path to finding a loving and caring home may be rocky, and at times, seem unattainable. For the unwanted, older and disabled cats in the area, a safe and welcoming haven can be found at the Lycoming Animal Protection Society.
LAPS, a no-kill cat shelter that provides housing for an indefinite period of time to its residents … sometimes for the balance of the cat's life.

While some people might look upon the shelter and feel sadness, there is no need for that. Residents of LAPS receive a proper diet, companionship, regular vaccines and medical care; basically a safe and happy home with a lot of fellow felines.

photo by Jeffrey Allen Federowicz (Webb Weekly)"I know people sometimes shy away from supporting us because they feel guilty because they don't have the means to do so financially,” said Tracy Haas, board member and public relations and marketing coordinator for LAPS, “or they are afraid they will become too attached to the cats, or that it will be too hard to be around them because it will make you feel sad. I can say from first hand experience that this is not the case. Yes, it is hard knowing that many of these cats will call the shelter home for their entire life. But isn't that all the more reason to make sure they are happy during the time they are here?

“This doesn't have to mean spending hundreds or thousands of dollars a year making donations. It can mean stopping for a visit and holding, petting and giving them attention. It can mean volunteering your time to help us staff fundraisers and raise community awareness of spaying and neutering. It can mean saving your aluminum cans. Each of these efforts adds up and gives our shelter the power to keep going. This is exactly why it has been able to do so for almost 17 years! You'll also be amazed as to how much you will receive too."

Founded in 1992 in Montoursville by Mr. Richard Lewis, LAPS relies on the hard work of roughly 25 volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and skills to keep the shelter operating.

"We have volunteers who come from as far as Northumberland," Haas said. "We work with volunteers to find duties that suit them best: some are very skilled at providing medications and taking cats to the vet. Others focus on keeping the shelter itself clean and changing out linens, sanitizing food and water bowls and handling laundry. Some handle the operational details like returning phone calls, maintaining our web site, performing office work and staffing fundraising."

LAPS, which serves the greater Williamsport area, is completely funded by donations and fundraisers and receives no government funding of any kind. There is no paid staff and the shelter is run solely by volunteers and the board of directors.
There are several ways the public can help LAPS help homeless cats, they include adoption, sponsorship, donating, volunteering, a LAPS membership, even donating aluminum cans.

Although some things have changed since the shelter started, such as its relocation to a more efficient and larger home at the River Front South Complex in South Williamsport, some things remain the same.

"Sadly, one thing hasn't changed at all is the number of unwanted cats, especially right now in our troubled economy,” Haas said. “We have already taken in numerous cats this year from people who lost their homes due to foreclosure and other housing issues. We have also had numerous cats and kittens abandoned in front of the shelter —12 over the course of just one weekend! In addition, far too many people continue to turn a blind eye to the importance of spaying and neutering their animals, yet they still expect LAPS and other animal organization to pay the consequences."

Of course one thing that has not changed is the care area residents provide for the shelter. From financial support to donations of food, litter and other necessities, to the countless hours volunteers provide, LAPS has touched and enriched many lives.

"A shelter cat holds a special appreciation for having a family to call its own and although it may not always show, it will come out from time to time," Hass said. "It may be by a special purr and "head bonk" or that look that says you are ‘my person’ or by seeing them curled up on your windowsill enjoying the warm sunshine thinking ‘Wow, I have it so good!’”

Until that day arrives, LAPS will continue to provide a safe and welcoming home to those creatures that have none.

LAPS has a list of items used in the everyday care of the cats that are always needed and greatly appreciated.

For more information about LAPS, or to make a donation, visit their website at www.lapsshelter.org.

Copyright 2009 Webb Weekly. Appears with permission of and through the courtesy of Webb Weekly. May not be reprinted, republished or reposted. Photo by Jeffrey Allen Federowicz (Webb Weekly).