Christ Yoder
Related Articles
KILLEEN, Texas – Overcrowding in central Texas animal shelters is straining its staff, which can be overwhelming to say the least.
However, a non-profit organization is working to change that. The idea is to lighten the load by spaying and neutering cats.
It might sound simple, however, Snip and Tip founder Cody Courtain says it makes a big difference.
His most rewarding days are when he started with cats.
“It’s a tomcat that we just trapped,” said Courtain. “He’ll be home, get ready for surgery tomorrow. He’ll be fixed. He’ll recover overnight, then he’ll be released here.”
Growing up in a very rural town, Courtain says kittens were a way of life.
“I always brought kittens home,” Courtain said. “You know, I would wake up every two hours to newborn kittens and try to bottle feed them.”
Courtain launched Snip and Tip a few years ago. The Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) association is based in Killeen, serving Bell and Coryell counties.
“So basically we set up traps. We trap the cats. We work with vet partners. Get them spayed, spayed, vaccinated. We keep them until they recover from surgery, then we put them back where they came from and their keepers continue to feed and shelter them.
Stacy says her area is very popular for dumping animals. When she didn’t have the funds for cat food, Courtain stepped in.
“Because I ran out of cat food and was asking for help,” Stacy said. “It was just when the pandemic started and they put me in touch with him.”
It’s about controlling the cat population.
“All the animals I feed have to be sterilized, so we’re not just creating a bigger problem,” Courtain explained.
He does this through donations, which he says the nonprofit is badly in need of keeping even more cats out of the area’s already overcrowded shelters, helping Texans like Mary.
“I mean, we would have had hundreds here if Cody hadn’t fixed those 72 cats,” Mary said. “If we had a normal kitten here they would have been everywhere and they would have been sick and that would have just been awful.
While the long days aren’t easy, Courtain says they’re worth it.
“What if, through sterilization and sterilization, we get to where there has never been an animal to save? [and] were there fewer animals in our shelter system that needed to be adopted? Said Courtain.
To donate to Snip and Tip’s efforts, contact Courtain by email at [email protected] and by phone at 254-780-7951.
