Community Animal Welfare Society (CAWS) is a volunteer nonprofit organization. Our purpose is "Working with the Community to Help Animals". We receive no governmental funding, and rely completely on donations. CAWS volunteers give of their time and effort within Utah communities along the Wasatch Front, to:
Provide animal welfare outreach, including animal rescue and a sliding-income-scale spay / neuter / vaccinate program for pets. We do not have a shelter facility, so we go directly to the people, and the animals in need.
Conduct an ongoing foster and adoption program, including color photos of available cats and dogs on our web site, www.caws.org, newspaper adoption ads, and regular adoption days at Salt Lake City area PetSmart Luv-A-Pet centers.
CAWS animals live in volunteer foster homes until they are adopted. We carefully screen all potential families, do follow-up calls and visits, and require the pet be returned to CAWS if the adopter is unable to keep it.
Actively and aggressively encourage spaying / neutering of all pets by:
promoting the benefits of spaying / neutering whenever and wherever CAWS volunteers interact with the public, including distributing fliers with the CAWS phone number to call for help with spay / neuter costs;
providing sliding-income-scale financial assistance to the extent of our resources;
offering to help, including pick up and transportation of the pet to the vet;
working with cooperating veterinarians to make reduced cost spays / neuters available; and
including the cost of the spay / neuter in the adoption fee to help ensure, if the pet is too young, that it will be altered on time.
Provide public education and information regarding the responsibilities of pet ownership by:
publishing a newsletter which is distributed with mailings and at adoption days;
providing current and useful pet care information at our web site, www.caws.org; and
responding to all calls referred to us by veterinarians, PetSmart, other rescue groups and members of the public whether by phone, postal mail, or E-mail.
Conduct a feral (non-tame) cat program, called TNR (Trap, Neuter, & Release). The program improves these cat's lives, and also reduces their numbers, by providing to the public:
the use of quality humane traps, and help with veterinary care, including spay / neuter / vaccinations;
advice and training regarding using traps and providing long-term care of feral cats; and
liaison contact with property owners and the community to provide information regarding TNR and to assist in establishing agreements to allow TNR cats to be maintained.
CAWS is registered with the State of Utah as a nonprofit entity and is an IRS tax exempt 501(c)(3) charity. Contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law.
