CAZENOVIA — This holiday season, Pop Pop’s Owahgena Pizzeria is working to support the cats of Wayward Paws, Inc., a non-profit animal rescue organization in Central New York.
The pizzeria will have a barrel set up to collect donations of needed supplies until Christmas.
According to Sharon Grimes, who is organizing the drive, the rescue has requested Purina Cat Chow, Purina Kitten Chow, Fancy Feast canned kitten food, Friskies canned food, and KMR kitten milk replacement. Cat toys, beds, and litter are also appreciated.
Grimes’ husband, Michael, has owned the Albany Street pizzeria since the beginning of June.
“We just moved here from Pennsylvania, where I was very involved with helping local rescues and Trap-Neuter-Return,” said Grimes. “We owned a restaurant in PA, and for several years, I held a Rescue Day once a year to raise funds to help local dog and cat rescues. [It] was very successful. When moving here, I knew I wanted to continue to be involved with helping local rescues; it’s something I care deeply about.”
When Grimes learned of a stray in her new neighborhood, she contacted Wayward Paws to see if its volunteers could help.
“They immediately said that if I could get the kitty to them, they would take [it], get it fixed, and put it up for adoption,” Grimes recalled. “I knew then that I wanted to do something [to] return the kindness they showed in helping me help this kitty. . . . So many cats — and dogs — are being dumped and surrendered every day, and it’s taking a toll on the rescues and shelters. They need all the help and support they can get, and this is a small way we can help give back to them for all they’re giving and doing to help the animals in need.”
Wayward Paws, Inc. was founded in 2006 to help address CNY’s growing cat overpopulation problem.
According to its website, its dedicated network of volunteers operates throughout Madison, Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga, and Southern Oswego counties, working to rescue and rehome homeless cats and kittens, support families in need that are struggling to care for pets they love, and control community cat populations by trapping, sterilizing, and releasing animals back to their home colonies.
The organization has no rescue center. Instead, its volunteers foster the cats and kittens in their homes until the animals are ready to be adopted. Wayward Paws provides training, support, and all necessary veterinary care for its foster animals.
“We are a small, grassroots rescue, and we do not receive any type of funding,” said Rita Brantum, who sits on the Wayward Paws Board of Directors. “We are responsible for all fundraising. It is so important to us when the community chooses to help us. All contributions go directly to each [fosterer] to be used for their cats/kittens, whether it be cat food, kitten food, cat litter, etc.”
According to Brantum, the rescue usually cares for approximately 150 cats and kittens at any given time.
“Not all kitties we help are adoptable,” she noted. “We each have our fair share of timid, skittish, or feral cats that were not socialized as [kittens] and, therefore, [are] not the type of pet most people want. We do try to place this type of cat in the local barns where they work for their keep as mousers. However, the need is not always there for these cats.”
To learn more about Wayward Paws, Inc. and how to support the rescue, email [email protected] or visit waywardpaws.org or the organization’s Facebook page.
Pop Pop’s Owahgena Pizzeria is located at 118 Albany St. and is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 3 to 8 p.m.
To place an order, call 315-655-9900. The menu and updates are posted on the “Owahgena Pizzeria” Facebook page.
