Cape Coral Animal Shelter receives $10,000 grant investment from Petco Love
Cape Coral’s animal shelter on Tuesday received a $10,000 grant from a national organization.
Cape Coral Animal Shelter officials gathered at Petco in Fort Myers where they were honored by national nonprofit Petco Love in a special celebration supporting the shelter’s lifesaving work for animals in South Florida.
“To be recognized by such a prestigious organization as Petco Love means so much to our small but ever-growing shelter and clinic,” said CCAS Executive Director Liz McCauley. “Every dollar we receive goes directly to the care and welfare of the abused, neglected and abandoned animals we save daily, and we are grateful for the support.”
Petco Love is a national nonprofit leading change for pets by harnessing the power of love to make communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since 1999, Petco Love has invested $330 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. Petco Love helps find loving homes for pets in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 organizations — like CCAS — across North America, with 6.5 million pets adopted and counting.
“Our investment in the Cape Coral Animal Shelter is part of more than $15 million in investments recently announced by Petco Love to power local organizations across the country as part of our commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized,” said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love, in a release. “Our local investments are only part of our strategy to empower animal lovers to drive lifesaving change right alongside us. We recently celebrated the one-year launch anniversary of Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database that uses pet facial recognition technology to simplify the search for lost pets.”
CCAS and Veterinary Clinic is also a nonprofit organization that has been serving the region since 2020. In just two years, CCAS has found homes for over 2,500 previously unwanted animals and provides low-cost veterinary care to over 5,000 patients in the community.
McCauley said the grant couldn’t have come at a better time. She said the recent housing crisis has also increased the amount of surrenders.
“We recently had several severe medical cases and, of course, we are inundated with kittens and nursing moms right now,” she said. “Donations are always down over the summer, so this grant could not have come at a better time. All funds will be used toward the medical care of our shelter animals.
“Unfortunately, owner surrenders are up right now as the housing crisis has caused so many people to move where they are unable to have pets,” she continued. “We do our best to help people keep their pets in their homes, but some just can’t, which is very sad.”
Recently, CCAS named a new director of operations for the clinic: Dr. Megan Davis, who is joined alongside Dr. Bessette. McCauley said the clinic has plans to expand hours and add additional veterinarians in the near future.
McCauley was very thankful to the Southwest Florida area for all of the support shown to CCAS in their two years in operation.
“This community continues to amaze me with the love, support, volunteer hours and donations we continue to receive,” she said. “It is heartwarming and so very much appreciated.”
CCAS is at 325 S.W. 2nd Ave. For more information, visit capecoralanimalshelter.com.
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