INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — The impact of inflation is affecting everyone in different ways, but for Mending Pawz Rescue of NC, the founders say rising costs are now making their mission much more challenging to rescue as many cats as possible and find their forever homes.
The rescue first started back in 2018. Typically Mending Pawz says donations cover about 20% of its costs. The rest is out of pocket. Now those out-of-pocket expenses are becoming much more costly.
“I’d say the increase in supplies overall over the past year has probably gone up about 10 percent," Matthew Szymanski said. “The average cost per cat from intake through placement is anywhere from $250 to $650 depending on the cat.”
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
Some of the necessary supplies to provide for the 40-50 cats in their care include food, litter, veterinary visits, cleaning supplies, beds, crates and more.
“Unfortunately it all comes down to money and if we can’t stretch thin anymore, we have [had] to turn away cats in the past -- which is the antithesis to our mission," Szymanski said.
Mending Pawz says they can make the most of one-time or recurring donations to help meet some of their needs.
“One of the benefits of having the recurring monthly donation versus just the one time is that it allows us to project out into the future how many cats we’ll be able to intake this month," Szymanski said.
But in addition to money, Mending Pawz is also looking for volunteers willing to offer their time or skill such as pro bono veterinary services or social media help.
For those interested in helping or donating, Mending Pawz has an Amazon wish list.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.