Giving rescued cats new lives

A half-dozen cats were rescued from a home at 233 Cleveland St. in Franklin Square last December, and a month later, about 20 more were brought to warmth and safety.

Last week, Franklin Square Eagle Scout Som Keshar and fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 485 brought a final collection of supplies to the rescued cats at their new home, the Pets4Luv Foundation, an animal shelter in the Source Mall in Westbury.

Pets4Luv is a nonprofit, no-kill facility, staffed by volunteers, which focuses on rehabilitating rescued dogs and cats and finding new homes for them. All of its funding comes from private donations.

Keshar was working toward his Eagle badge when the cats were rescued. To earn scouting's top award, a boy must complete a project devoted to the betterment of his community, and Keshar was looking for an idea for such a project. "Several of us put our heads together to provide a list of suggestions to help Som make his decision - something for the church, a project at the park, Ronald McDonald House, the Inn in Hempstead, collecting items for a charity - and also suggested he Google Eagle projects," Assistant Scoutmaster Debra Hansen said. "In our discussions, the topic of the cats that had been rescued ... came up. I had seen several appeals for help from Pets4Luv on the community Facebook page. I told Som about the story behind the cat rescue, and what kind of impact it had on Pets4Luv, who took in all of the cats."

Keshar and his parents went to visit Pets4Luv, Hansen said, where they were given a tour and learned about the cats' condition and what was being done to rehabilitate and find new homes for them. "His decision was made," Hansen said, "and the project took off." 

Several of his fellow scouts placed donation boxes in facilities around Franklin Square. A former scout who works at a local pet store heard about the project and offered to host a fundraiser. Initially, Keshar received several boxes of donations and about $200, which he used to purchase more cat food. There have been other efforts this year, and a final inventory was taken on July 10, before all of the items were boxed and delivered to Pets4Luv on July 15. 

"A few more scouts, Som, his dad and a couple of leaders delivered the additional boxes of items to Pets4Luv and a check for $700," Hansen said. "The only down [side] to all of this, there are more cats at the house, as not all were captured in the original rescue, and now those remaining cats are having kittens."

Over the winter, traps were set to capture any remaining cats at the Cleveland Avenue home, but SPCA Nassau County spokesman Gary Rogers acknowledged that while most of the cats were caught and brought to safety, a few remained.

"There were 21 cats plus four kittens in total rescued," Rogers said. "We are grateful to shelters such as Pets4Luv because they are a no-kill shelter. Medical bills for these cats total over $15,000. [Pets4Luv workers] are all volunteers, and they do so much. The cats were living in deplorable conditions."

Keshar said he was grateful for the experience he gained from his Eagle Scout project. "Many of the challenges were showing leadership," he said. "At first I didn't do too well, because I never was a leader before, but eventually I started to communicate better with the troop, and everything just came together to finish my project. The only real challenge now is the paperwork" - a written record of the project, which he will submit for final approval to the Boy Scouts of America.

Keshar said he hoped to volunteer at Pets4Luv when he had some free time - though he'll need a car to drive to and from Westbury. "Also, in the future I was hoping to adopt a pet," he said, "but I'll have to discuss that with my parents and see how it goes." 

To donate to the Pets4Luv Foundation, visit the shelter at the Source Mall, at 1504 Old Country Road, behind the Cheesecake Factory on the second floor, or online at www.pets4luv.org/index.html.