Tucked off of Route 9 as you head west from Wellesley into Natick, you will find the transitional house for SPIN (Stray Pets in Need). You might not know from the curb that 5 Overbrook Terrace is a refuge for both stray pets and the volunteers that care for them, but as you proceed up the brick walkway stamped with family names, dedications, and remembrances, you’ll see that you are about to enter the home of a nonprofit organization. Once you spend some time getting to know SPIN, you know it’s even more than that.
Inside, Sue Webb and Julia Neff tell me the story of how SPIN was born. Sue, the organization’s founder and leader, has been caring for stray pets in this area as the animal control officer for the town of Wellesley for four decades. Early in her career, she learned how over-run area shelters were, how limited town funds are, and that sick or injured animals often could not be cared for. Sue’s love for animals followed her from childhood, when she was the one who would care for a sick squirrel or ask to take the class pet home for (every) school break. As an adult, she saw that needed to find a way to help more of the animals she encountered in her position.
SPIN was formed first to provide treatment for one rescued puppy with an injured leg, but the organization now transitions 250-400 pets to adopted homes each year. Stray Pets in Need of MA, Inc., as it was incorporated in 1991, with Webb’s friends signing on as the first board members to save the puppy, is completely volunteer-run. And while the organization now adopts out mostly cats, they have seen their fair share of unique “stray” animals, including a five-foot iguana, a hedgehog, and a few cockatiels.
Julia Neff first came to SPIN as a volunteer with her children, who had a community service requirement at their school. She stayed long after the kids, and would go on to adopt two (of her five) cats from SPIN. Now the organization’s vice president, Neff loves photographing the animals and sharing their pictures on social media, helping them find forever families. “I love taking their pictures and posting them. It makes me so happy,” she shares.
The transitional house at 5 Overbrook Terrace is where stray animals first come to receive medical treatment and help becoming socialized. Sue Webb helped the organization purchase the shelter space in the 90s. She jokes, “That also makes me night security.” She also tends to any animals that are sick, needing medicine at bedtime, and covers the daytime volunteer shifts during storms. Indeed SPIN has created a unique home in Natick. Inside the rooms where the kitties stay, one sees how the building was retrofitted for their needs: linoleum flooring over the hardwood floors in the rooms that house pets, a large sink donated by a veterinarian, and space for medical care and lots of laundry.
Pets who have special health concerns and ongoing needs will remain here and can be visited by appointment, but for the most part, adoptions take place out of Kitty City – a special place within Pet World in Natick. An adoption counselor is onsite Sunday noon to 5pm; Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 4pm; Friday 2-8 pm; and Saturday noon to 6 pm. In this arrangement, created by Webb and the store’s previous owners, Pet World donates space and supplies for the cats awaiting new homes.
SPIN is making an impact in Massachusetts outside of Natick as well. “There are many stray cats out there that are loved and cared for. People feed them and don’t want to call animal control,” Sue reports. Through her efforts and those of dedicated volunteers, SPIN can safely trap stray animals, have them spayed and neutered, and then return them. Over time, this has contributed to a decrease in the state’s stray colonies. When an expecting stray cat is found, the transitional house hosts the delivery, and then the new kittens with their mom are fostered by local families so that they stay healthy until it’s time to be adopted at Kitty City.
Kittens can be adopted in pairs, but older cats are perfect for people hoping to adopt just one. Over 8,000 kittens and cats have been adopted through Kitty City so far.
At the transitional house, I visited with 14-year old Tenchi, who came to SPIN after his owner passed away, and a recent addition, Mario, who curled himself under a blanket as we admired. Early on, SPIN began micro-chipping all animals that were adopted out, which helps prevent them from becoming strays again. They also initiated an early spay and neuter program, so that kittens have the procedure done before they are adopted.
The organization is also involved in innovative ways to help humans as well as animals. Through a partnership with Wellesley College, SPIN provides emotional support kitties for students, who share a loving temporary home and importantly, an opportunity to socialize before being adopted. At Babson College, SPIN participated in a student-created business, Cats on Campus, which allowed students to spend time with cats, for a cost. SPIN also participates in programs that help ensure safety of pets so that a domestic violence victim can leave an abusive situation.
It seems that SPIN runs on generosity of resources, time, and spirit. Volunteers visit the transitional house three times a day, seven days a week, and help at Kitty City as well. Students have built a shed outside the transitional house and SPIN is currently seeking students who would like to paint a mural inside. Donations of all kinds are welcome. Their wish list includes: Bleach, unscented laundry detergent, paper towels/toilet paper, dish soap/ hand soap, sponges, brooms, trash bags, paper plates/plastic plates, cat toys, canned cat food, clay, non-clumping cat litter, white copy paper, gift cards (Staples/Target/Walmart/Amazon), towels of all sizes (used/in clean condition), hand held dust vacuum. Volunteers are also welcome. SPIN holds an orientation once a month.
You can learn more about SPIN at their website (straydogsandcats.com), view Kitty City’s cat cam at http://www.petworldnatick.com/shelter, and find pets available for adoption on Pet Finder.
Issue Date:
April, 2019
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