Save Our Kitties Stockton (SOKS) is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization. The volunteers are invaluable to our success. They put in countless hours answering phone calls and emails, trapping feral and stray cats, and then caring for them. They are SOKS heroes!
Read on to learn more about our volunteers.
When you call or write SOKS, we take time to answer your questions, or we refer you to other resources. The person who responds is a volunteer. To get in touch with SOKS, visit our contact page.
If you need help with trap-neuter-return (TNR), a volunteer will meet with you to instruct and help you with setting up a trap. Sometimes they even trap a cat for you!
If necessary, our volunteer will take “your” trapped cat to their home where the animal gets food, water and clean bedding inside the trap. The volunteer may also take the cat to the clinic and pick it up after the neuter/spay procedure is complete.
Depending on the sex of the cat, it will spend one–two nights at the volunteer’s home to recover. That can get pretty intense! Feral cats are not used to sitting in a small trap for so long, so they make a huge mess … Bedding gets torn into pieces, poop may get stuck between the bars of the trap or sometimes ends up in the food dish. Everything will be turned upside down and water spilled everywhere. The volunteer cleans the cage multiple times because we want the cat to recover in a clean place. When the cat is finally ready to return to its original environment, the volunteer takes it there and ensures a safe return.
You might think that this is the end of volunteer work, but there is more. Now the blankets need to be washed; the trap needs to be cleaned, sanitized and dried out; and food bowls need to be washed. Everything will be ready for the next feline resident.
I hope I shed some light on how much work and effort it takes for a successful TNR. Although we raise funds to cover the cost of cat food, disinfectants or training pads, SOKS volunteers use their own cars and fuel, space in their own homes, but most of all, their time and energy. They are truly devoted to this service. All of us at Save Our Kitties Stockton hope that our work will one day make a big difference in Stockton's neighborhoods.
If you value SOKS services, please consider a donation. Visit our Support page to find out HOW YOU CAN HELP. Thank you ❤️
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