KELLOGG –– When Silver Valley Cat Wranglers were notified that 19 kittens had been abandoned at the Trail Motel in February, they knew they were going to need the support of the community to bring these little kittens to stable, loving homes.
When they initially recovered, they were living in dirt and many of the kittens were sick; the Wranglers gave them the medicine they needed and subsequently found foster homes for them.
Although Silver Valley Cat Wranglers (SVCW) is a nonprofit organization, they still require funding for the services they provide, many of which are offered to them at a discounted rate at local veterinary clinics.
Local businessman and bar owner Mike Kennaugh never lets a good cause go unfunded, so he offered the services of his establishment, Dirty Dog Saloon, to organize a fundraiser for SVCW to cover costs. to get these sick cats the help they needed.
Through auction items and liquor sales, they were able to raise $3,200 last month for SVCW and, so far, all of the kittens have been adopted.
On Friday, Kennaugh, along with his wife Linda and daughter (who runs the bar) Kyrsten, presented SVCW board member Juli Zook with a check from the fundraiser.
“We appreciate your early desire to host this fun event,” Zook said. “It takes a village.”
This isn’t the first time the Kennaughs have stepped up to organize a community fundraiser, and it won’t be the last either.
This summer, she’s planning a small festival in the Dirty Dog parking lot and plans to use the last day of the festival to raise money for Shoshone Pet Rescue (more information on this event will be available in the coming weeks).
“We used to do regular fundraisers before COVID,” Dirty Dog manager Kyrsten Kennaugh explained. “So this was important as it was our first post-COVID, and it was great to get back into the swing of things. We live in a small community, so even a single fundraiser or donating your time to a cause can have a big impact.”
All cats rescued by SVCW are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and treated for ear mites and fleas. The organization has seven long-time volunteers/board members and four regular foster care volunteers.
The cats are then adopted for a fee of $100, much less than the regular cost of all services provided.
“I would like to thank our community for their support, be it monetary, volunteering, donations, and participation in the successful event at the Dirty Kitty Saloon,” Zook said. “A special thank you to the proud owners of Dirty Dog Saloon, Mike and Linda Kennaugh, and kudos to Kyrsten for all of his hard work and dedication to making this a huge success.”
SVCW is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-based, non-profit kitten and cat rescue organization that helps rehome and repair stray, dropped, abandoned and feral cats.
Donations to SVCW can be sent to PO Box 995, Osburn, ID 83849, or call Juli Zook at (208) 659-1764.
For more information, visit the SVCW Facebook page. If anyone is interested in adopting a cat, please email [email protected] to request an application. You can also call the SVCW at (208) 446-7131.