Helping to ensure that all pets in your community are spayed or neutered is a major way to cut down on pet overpopulation and throw a monkey wrench into the operations of some backyard breeders and puppymillers at the same time. Unaltered purebred dogs and cats who for some reason become homeless can end up in filthy cages as "breeding stock." Some of these "pet profiteers" aren't even picky about the animal being purebred, as long as it looks like the dominant breed.

       A frequent visitor to the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project site sent the above photo of an on-going fund-raiser being used to subsidize community spay/neuter programs such as spay/neuter rebates and SNAP certificates for low-income pet owners who have the procedure done at specific vets. Sewn catnip bags (or the stuffed crocheted balls pictured here and advertised as "The Only Balls Your Cat Will Ever Need") are made by volunteers using donated materials and sold at participating area vets, pet supply stores, and other pet-friendly businesses for $1 apiece.

       While that doesn't sound like much, you'd be surprised at how fast those $1 bills add up!

       Note for those who would like to try this at home: the "tip" jars are recycled 48-oz glass applesauce jars, etched with custom-cut stencils from Egress Etch, a rescue-friendly business. The pattern for the crocheted catnip balls can be downloaded for free from www.TreasuredHeirloomsCrochet.com.

Didn't realize that there are such things as kitten mills? See:
Conditions at a Wisconsin Cat Breeding Facility