SUPPORTING COMMUNITY CATS

Distillery supports local humane society program

Wilderness Trail Distillery has long been a supporter of the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society. We are proud of the look for the agency’s van used in the Community Cat Program.
Wilderness Trail held a Fur Ball in November in honor of the agency’s 50th anniversary. We have a special barrel pick that showcases the cats that live in the distillery’s barn and who have been spay/neutered through the humane society’s Community Cat Program. Barrel pick sales benefit the humane society.

The agency began in 1972 when Charlotte Bateman and a group of concerned citizens established the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society to care for homeless animals. Since then, the humane society has adapted to the community’s changing needs and evolved with innovations in the animal welfare field, says director Kari Kuh.

The Community Cat Program has enjoyed much success since it began in 2019. When it began the program, DBCHS discontinued trapping, impounding, and euthanizing outdoor cats and started offering free spay/neuter surgery, using Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR). 

TNVR is the process by which cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their original location. Thanks to generous grants, veterinary partners, and engaged Boyle County residents, 3,200+ cats were sterilized at low or no cost to their caretakers in the last three years. 

It’s making a huge difference. In 2018, the shelter euthanized more than 500 cats due to overcrowding, illness, or lack of available homes. After DBCHS implemented its community cat program in 2019, fewer than 60 cats were euthanized in 2020 and 2021 combined.

Wilderness Trail Distillery has been a gracious sponsor of the Community Cat Program from the beginning, and a participant, too! Cooper, the beloved resident distillery cat, was being harassed by the outdoor cats in the area, and the Community Cat Program came to the rescue.

The humane society’s TNVR specialist humanely trapped and returned more than 10 felines to the distillery. Because the cats are sterilized and vaccinated, they do not reproduce, fight, or spread disease. Now the cats live happily, keeping pests at bay, and have become a part of daily life at Wilderness Trail.

Much has changed since 1972, but the community’s incredible support has remained constant. 

Date: Nov 18, 2022 — Nov 18, 2022