Friends of Strays and MEOW Now partner to save cats

Nonprofit group Friends of Strays, a no-kill animal shelter in St. Pete, is partnering with MEOW Now to save more free-roaming cats. 

On Oct. 1, the two nonprofits will join to expand efforts and resources to humanely reduce the reproduction of the homeless/outdoor cats in the community, according to a Friends of Strays announcement this week. MEOW Now will also have a physical space at Friends of Strays’ campus by next year. 

While this formal partnership is new, the two groups have curated a strong relationship over the years through the TNVR program (trap, neuter, vaccinate and return). The program helps control the cat population, resulting in fewer cats being euthanized and improving their overall welfare. 

“We have been quite integrated, and we’ve been in talks for almost a year about joining forces,” Friends of Strays CEO Dara Eckart said to the St. Pete Catalyst. “There are so many feral and outdoor cats that are routinely euthanized, we want to get to an 80-90% safe rate.” 

MEOW Now has been TNVR-ing community cats since 2015, and Friends of Strays has been a supporting shelter for spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations. Eckart said Friends of Strays’ surgeon, who has a strong background in shelter medicine, performs 20-30 surgeries weekly. 

An image of one of the cats from Friends of Strays.

In 2021, Friends of Strays vaccinated and altered more than 2,700 community cats, including cats trapped by MEOW Now.

Since its inception, MEOW Now has brought in nearly 10,500 cats through its TNVR program and well over 1,000 kittens through its foster-to-adopt program – preventing an estimated 40 million kittens from being born in the streets in Pinellas County.

“After creating the first TNVR organization in Pinellas County and shepherding it to where it is today, we are very excited to combine our efforts for community cats and caregivers with our trusted partner, Friends of Strays, where we know the mission will be protected and preserved,” MEOW Now President and co-founder Dan Hester said in a statement. 

The partnership comes as Friends of Strays is accepting animals from struggling shelters that have reached capacity, and is planning to grow its physical footprint.

Friends of Strays recently purchased two buildings that it will start to renovate in January. One of the buildings will be called the Cat Box, and will be solely dedicated to housing adoptable cats and services.

Eckart said MEOW Now is currently leasing space outside of the Friends of Strays campus, but plans to move into the Cat Box. 

“MEOW Now has made a huge difference and financially, we see this as a huge benefit for them to have access to our resources – funding, in-house vet services and our volunteer and foster network,” Eckart said. 

The second building, the Dog House, would be dedicated for dogs.

The Cat Box is expected to be completed next year. The Dog House will be completed by 2025. 

Additionally, MEOW Now’s third co-founder and board member, Cathy Unruh, will join the Friends of Strays Board of Directors.

Friends of Strays will be hosting its annual Wags and Whiskers event at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg Oct. 15. This year’s theme is “Jurassic Bark.”